Session Notes

Session Notes

Session 1 - 01/11/2025 #

Location: Small town tavern

Quest:

  • The party has been hired to escort a caravan to Bavaria for a man named Colyan Indirovich.
  • His lover, Ireena, is suffering from a mysterious affliction and he believes she is in danger.

Character Introductions

  • Caelen, young half-elf sorcerer
  • Elara, Fighter
  • Yorick
  • Ventis
  • Nicholas
  • Poxom (sir name Grave Worm, or Professor)

Characters Met/Mentioned:

  • Colyan Indirovich: The man who hired the party.
  • Ireena: Colyan’s lover, who is suffering from a mysterious affliction.

Notes:

  • There have been issues with werewolves attacking
  • The party received a purse of electrum coins and a letter with a seal that matches the coins.
  • The letter mentions that Ireena has a wound and is plagued by great evil.
  • The party is to take the road 5 miles west to find Colyan’s master in Bavaria.
  • The driver of the caravan they are to take is described as “flashy.”
  • The silver from the purse should cover the night’s food and lodging.
  • The party doesn’t recognize the electrum coins.
  • The letter from Colyan did not provide enough detail about Ireena’s affliction.

Location: Svalach Road / Forest

Notes:

  • The party travels west down Svalach Road.
  • The forest to the west is dangerous and misty.
  • The party encounters a gate with unfamiliar heads on it that swings open as they approach.
  • The party finds a human corpse that has been dead for several days.
  • There are claw marks on the corpse and animal paw prints nearby.
  • The corpse has a letter that mentions a daughter being bitten by a vampire.
  • The handwriting on the letter is different from the letter the party received from Colyan.

Encounter: The party is surrounded by wolves, led by a large black wolf with regenerative abilities.

Location: Unknown Town

Notes

  • The party approaches a town with broken windows and boarded-up shops.
  • They hear mournful sobbing.
  • Yoick sees one of the houses is infested with rats.
  • The tavern and shops are closed.
  • The party hears another voice trying to hush the sobbing.
  • They see children; an older girl (10) and a boy (6 or 7) who is crying.
  • The girl says there is a monster in their house and that they heard howling in the basement.
  • She says her brother is still in the house and that the baby is in the nursery upstairs.
  • The party enters the house.
  • They find a sword above the fireplace with a windmill carved into the hilt.
  • It appears to be an upper-class home.

Characters Met / Mentioned

  • Colyan Indirovich: The man who hired the party to escort a caravan to Barovia.
  • Ireena: Colyan’s lover, who is suffering from a mysterious affliction.

Session 2: 01/18/2025 #

Location: Unknown Town - House

Ground Floor

  • Notes:
    • Serpents and skulls woven into the wall design
    • First walk into a dining room
    • Next find an elaborate hunter’s den room
    • Notice an open cabinet
    • Find a box of cards, put them back
    • Find the kitchen, which has a dumbwaiter and pantry
    • Find a coat room
  • Rooms
    • Dining Room
    • Hunter’s Den
    • Kitchen
    • Coat Room

Second Floor

  • Notes:
    • See a portrait with mom, dad, the two children, and an infant
    • The mom has a hint of scorn on her face towards the baby
    • Find an undecorated bedroom with servant uniforms—probably a servant’s room
    • Chests in the room were empty
    • In the next room, search a desk, (find a) wooden seal with a windmill
    • Find a bookshelf with a book with a button that opens a secret door
    • In the room is a skeleton in a chest, like they reached into the chest and died
    • The leather armor on the skeleton had 3 darts
    • Skeleton has a rolled-up letter in hand
    • 3 books in the chest
    • 3 spell scrolls (protection from poison, don’t recognize the other 2)
    • Find a music room
  • Items Acquired:
    • Iron key from a desk drawer
  • Actions Taken:
    • Read the note the skeleton was holding (which opened a door to the fourth floor)
  • Rooms
    • Servant’s Room
    • Room with Desk
    • Secret Room
    • Music Room

Third Floor

  • Notes:
    • Everything is covered in dust and has not been kept, wall decorations are now corpses hanging on trees
    • Find an elegant bedroom, covered in dust, find other stained-glass doors in the room
    • Find a broom closet; don’t check anything inside
    • Find another bedroom, with a fireplace, a portrait of the parents, and a rotting tiger rug in front of the fireplace
    • The last room on the 3rd floor we find is a bathroom
    • We learn that the baby was stillborn, we think one of the caretakers, not the mom, had the baby
    • Gustave Durst family (last name Durst)
    • Rosevalda and Thornbolt are the children
    • There is something dark about this family
    • Check chandeliers and candelabras for trap doors
    • We investigate the dumbwaiter; it doesn’t reveal anything
  • Encounters:
    • Specter
  • Actions Taken:
    • Open a wardrobe and find 3 different sizes of crossbows and 60 bolts
  • Items Acquired:
    • Necklace with orange stone from a jewelry box
    • Heavy crossbow and 40 bolts from a wardrobe (Elara)
    • Light crossbow and 20 bolts from a wardrobe (Caleen)
  • Rooms
    • Elegant Bedroom
    • Nursery
    • Broom Closet
    • Bedroom with Fireplace
    • Bathroom

Fourth Floor

  • Notes:
    • The hall is full of dust and cobwebs, see multiple doors, one door catches the eye because it has faded red symbols, a large chain with a padlock (the symbols are written in abyssal, and say “ancient” and “land” - which is all that can be made out)
    • It is a ward to keep something in, but is also sacrificial in nature
    • Find a room with a desk and rocking chair, bed, find a doll with a yellow dress, cobwebs like a wedding veil (we leave the doll)
    • Another room is packed with dusty white sheets hanging over things (chairs, coat racks)
    • Get to the end of the room and covered is a wooden trunk, in the trunk, there are skeletal remains (maybe the mom?)
    • The remains are human, female, the cause of death is multiple stab wounds to the abdomen
    • Behind (the door with abyssal writing) is a room for 2 children, skeletons on the floor, one holding a skeletal doll just like we saw before
    • We know the kids we saw before are dead
    • A toy chest in the room has multiple toys
    • Find a finger puppet (labeled is no fun, is no blinsky) (then we hear, hey don’t touch my stuff, and the kids appear)
    • Blinsky is a toymaker
    • The girl says parents locked them in the room to protect them from the monster in the basement
    • The kids died from starvation
    • There is a model of the house in the kids’ room and we notice there is a closet with a staircase down to the basement
  • Encounters:
    • The kids
  • Actions Taken
    • Long rest in the room and level up to level 2
    • The kids’ spirits enter 2 of our party members
  • Rooms
    • Room with Desk, Rocking Chair, and Bed
    • Room with Dusty White Sheets
    • Children’s Room
    • Closet with Staircase

Basement

  • Notes:
    • We head down the staircase, when we get to the bottom, we hear something (a repetitive erry chant)
    • The kids’ names are Rose and Thorn
    • As we go through the basement, we hear the sound from downstairs
    • Find a room of moldy skeletons shackled, and a statue of man and black wolf (looks like the wolf we saw earlier)
    • The man has a smoky grey orb in the other hand
    • We go to the very next door
    • The door is a mimic (roll initiative)
  • Encounters:
    • Multiple creatures (after picking up the orb)
    • Mimic
  • Items Acquired:
    • Smokey grey orb
  • Actions Taken:
    • Pick up the orb and multiple creatures appear (Roll initiative)

Additional Notes & Information

  • Overall Actions Taken: Read the note the skeleton was holding (which opened a door to the fourth floor)

Characters Met / Mentioned

  • Rosevalda and Thornbolt Durst: The ghosts of two children who died in the Durst house.
  • Gustave and Elizabyth Durst: The deceased parents of the Durst family.

Session 3: 02/01/2025 #

Location: Durst Death house basement

Initial Actions & Observations:

  • The party took a short rest on the basement stairs.
  • After 40 minutes, a sense of dread affected each party member.
  • Found two open (empty) crypts.
    • One stone slab read “Walter Durst.”
  • Found another set of chambers with slabs covering the crypts.
    • Slabs read “Gustave Durst” and “Elizabyth Durst.”
    • The two kids’ graves were on the other side.
  • Found a room with a queen bed and two separate older paintings of the parents.
    • Behind the paintings was a chamber.
    • The smell of death emanated from the hidden chamber.
    • Encountered two undead within the chamber. Roll Initiative.

Chanting Chamber & Prison:

  • Moved down the stairs where chanting was heard last session.
  • Heard approximately a dozen voices chanting, “He is the ancient, he is the land,” repeatedly.
  • Entered a room with around a dozen alcoves.
  • The next room appeared to be a prison.
    • Found bones and shackles.
  • Approached the portcullis.
    • The chanting stopped.
  • Found a room full of water and an altar covered in blood.
  • Entered the room by chanting, “He is the ancient, he is the land.”
  • At the end of the room, found bodies in varying states of decay (some bones, some with slight decay).

The Altar & Abomination:

  • Poxom stepped on the altar.
    • Thirteen shadowy figures appeared and chanted, “One must die.”
  • When Poxom stepped off the altar, water swept the party back into the previous room.
  • Heard, “Walter the decayer, we awaken thee.”
    • An abomination of bodies at the end of the room came alive.
    • A baby head kept popping in and out. Roll Initiative.
  • Elara died but later came back to life, crawling out of the corpses (the reason is unknown).
  • Yorick and Nicholas were unconscious but stable.
  • Heard a rumbling voice say, “GET OUT!”
  • Took the two unconscious party members back upstairs.

The House’s Transformation:

  • Returned upstairs; all the windows were bricked up.
  • The walls were rotten, and scurrying sounds were heard within them.
  • All doors were gone and replaced with slashing scythe blades.
  • Re-entered the third floor.
  • Returned to the ground floor; two doorways had scythe blades.
  • Escaped the house with three unconscious and three conscious party members.
  • The sign outside the house read “Durst House,” but “Durst” was crossed out, and it now read “Death House.”
  • A drunk wandered by and said, “Welcome to Barovia.”

Encounters:

  • Two Undead
  • An Abomination of Bodies

Items Acquired:

  • Leather cloak (made of skin!)

Characters Met / Mentioned

  • Walter Durst: The deceased patriarch of the Durst family.

Session 4: 02/08/2025 #

Location: Barovia

  • The party heads to the middle of the town square.
    • Bildrath’s Mercantile
    • Blood on the Vine Tavern
  • The church is in the very northwest of town.
  • The party enters the tavern.

Location: Blood on the Vine Tavern

  • Three gentlemen with brightly colored outfits are present.
    • Ismark believes they are spies for Strahd.
  • Another man calls the party over to the bar.
    • He introduces himself as Ismark (the Lesser).
    • He is the son of the burgermeister (Colyan Indirovich) and was taken in by him after being orphaned at a young age.
    • Quest: He asks for help to protect his sister Ireena.
      • This is the same Ireena mentioned in the previous letter.
      • There is a walled town nearby named Vallaki.
      • The party should help him take Ireena to Vallaki to keep her safe from Strahd (vampire lord).
      • She has been bitten twice and will not survive a third bite.
      • The burgermeister is dead.
      • Ismark tells the party to head to his place for a short rest, then they will depart.
      • His house is north, near the church.
    • Castle Ravenloft overlooks the city and is where Strahd resides.

Location: Shop (Note: This is mentioned but no details are given)

Location: Ismark Mansion

  • The mansion has boarded windows and scattered holy symbols.
  • The burgermeister is seen in a coffin.
  • The party meets Ireena, who wears her father’s armor and has a sword. She has a large collar covering bite marks.

Location: Church

  • Beneath the floor, the party hears, “Father, I’m starving.” The priest (Priest Donavich) is praying over him.
    • Ismark says it is his son, whom he thought died over a year ago while trying to take down Strahd.
    • The son’s name is Doru.
  • Some of the symbols look similar to Pelor.
  • The priest says his son is in the basement or what remains of him.
  • The son came back two weeks ago asking for help.
  • The party enters the basement.
  • They find that the son is a vampire and try, unsuccessfully, to negotiate. Roll Initiative.
  • The party kills the vampire son and removes the crowbar.

Location: Leaving Town

  • One or two of the party members approach old wooden gallows down the road.
  • The party came to Barovia from the east, then northwest to Seerpool, then southwest to Ravenloft/Vallaki.
  • They head toward Seerpool.
  • The party finds more of the brightly colored gypsy individuals they don’t trust making camp.
  • They move toward the camp.
  • A gypsy says Madam Eva foretold their coming.
  • Three of the party members enter the tent, and she draws cards.
    • “3 Healer - Look to the west; find a pool blessed by the white sun” (3 Healer).
    • “1 Sword - Powerful force of good, great hope; treasure lays in the dragon’s house”.
    • “8 Glyphs - sword of pure sunlight lies beyond a treasure of amber door.”
    • “Ghost - a Vistana wanders this land alone, searching for her mentor. She doesn’t stay in one place for very long. Seek her quarry as she doesn’t stay in one place for long.”
    • “Mists - pulls all remaining cards as the mist.”
      • The cards should lead the party to the evil they seek, but the mist obscures all.

Miscellaneous Notes:

  • The skin cloak is magic and gives +1 AC. Yorick takes it and attunes to it.
  • The party will take a long rest and level up to level 3 in the next session.

Encounters:

  • Vampire Son (Doru)

Quests:

  • Protect Ireena and escort her to Vallaki.

Items Acquired:

  • Crowbar (removed from Doru)
  • Magic skin cloak (+1 AC)

Characters Met / Mentioned

  • Ismark the Lesser: The son of the Burgomaster of Barovia, seeking help to protect his sister.
  • Donavich: The priest of Barovia.
  • Doru: Donavich’s vampire son.
  • Madam Eva: A Vistani fortune teller.

Session 5: 02/15/2025 #

Location: Gypsy Camp outside town

  • Madam Eva provides a map of Barovia.

Location: Road to Vallaki

  • The party heads north and encounters a river with a bridge 1,000 feet above.
  • The party cuts through the woods to reach the bridge.
  • They find the body of a child in the woods, killed by wolves the previous night.
  • The party begins to cross the bridge; the fog is inescapable.
  • A large black carriage with horses faces east at a fork in the road after the bridge. The carriage is unoccupied, with deep reds and purples in the interior.
  • Elara attempts to chop off the carriage door (the party fears being trapped inside). The horses run off east, Elara catches up and jumps on a horse, then jumps off when the horses don’t stop.
  • The party takes the west fork.
  • Elara almost steps on a wolf trap, but Yorick spots it.
  • The party is ambushed by 3 scarecrows. Roll Initiative.
    • Yorick loots the scarecrows and collects an empty wineskin.

Location: Durst Windmill

  • The party approaches a dilapidated stone windmill with a door and a raven above.
    • Behind the windmill are 4 standing stones, circled by a dozen ravens. A raven pecks at something on one of the stones. The stones have religious symbols. Children’s teeth are between the stones.
    • The party takes a long rest behind the windmill.
  • The party awakens to the smell of baking.
  • A push cart is in front of the windmill (possibly a pastry cart, with crumbs on it).

Location: Road to Vallaki

  • The party is ambushed by wolves. Roll Initiative.
  • The party is then attacked by humans with stick and mud hats. Roll Initiative.

Location: Vallaki

  • Wolf heads are on pikes outside the town.
  • Ismark tells the guards at the entrance that the party seeks shelter and comes from the village of Barovia.
  • The guards are initially reluctant, but Caelen persuades them to let the party enter.
  • Inside, the party sees a large stockyard with sheds (Arasek Stockyard), a carnival wagon (Retavio’s Carnival of Wonders) parked to the side with a heavy padlock.

Location: Blue Water Inn

  • In the town center, the party finds the Blue Water Inn (sign with a blue waterfall). The windows have shutters and crossbars, and wolf heads are on wooden plaques.
  • Two men in leathers are in the inn and observe the party.
  • A group of drunk men in fancy clothes is also present.
  • A colorfully dressed man with a book and dinner has a cane at the bar.

Miscellaneous Notes:

  • Poxom is interested in the 8 of Glyphs card Madam Eva drew.

Session 6: 02/22/2025 #

Location: Vallaki - Blue Water Inn

  • Danaca Doracova (Bartender)
    • Says the Burgomaster told her to put out flyers for the Festival of the Blazing Sun (attendance is mandatory).
  • An older gentleman with food, reading at the bar, is paying attention to us (noticed on insight check). His name is Ringtavio.
    • He is a ringmaster of a traveling carnival.
    • He is reading history to tell stories he can sell at the carnival.
    • He has taken part in quite a few festivals in the month he has been here. He quietly tells us that forcing everyone to attend does not bring about cheer.
    • He has a standing room upstairs.
  • Knowledge about the town:
    • Most people are here for Gedof Blinski, the famous toymaker (we saw a puppet in the kids’ room of the Death House made by him).
    • There is a lake to the north outside of the walls.
  • Half of the party goes for a walk with Ringtavio.
    • As we leave, he gets apples for the destitute toymaker and his monkey, Pickalo.
    • We notice as we leave that:
      • The Wolf’s Head Jamboree was the previous festival; flyers are still out.
      • The Burgomaster believes they can force away the darkness through festivals and joy.
      • We see people in stocks with donkey heads who were arrested for “lack of joy.”
      • He is “stuck” here because the carnival is part of the festivals.
      • We notice a guard with a very large ax watching others put up festival flyers. It seems he has some sort of deformation; his arm on the right side gets bigger and bulkier than it should be, with a claw coming out. Skull shapes come out of his pipe. He has a dark red claw and arm. The guard’s name is Ivax Strazy, the Burgomaster’s personal bodyguard and head of the guards here. He grew up here as an orphan. He is a bit of a sociopath. When young, he was attacked by a dire wolf. He was made fun of by others, and it is rumored he killed them. His parents abandoned him as an orphan after the attack, and later, the Burgomaster took him in.
    • Poxom asks, and Ringtavio mentions there is an Amber Temple high in the Borvinock Mountains (points to the southwest).
    • Ringtavio expresses fear, anger, or disgust when Poxom mentions the gypsies where we heard the stories.
  • The other half of the party stays at the inn.
    • Zodar Zoldaravish & Yegenny Krustan are present. They mention they are hunters. They hunt wolves and sell skin and meat.
      • They offer to be guides for pay.
      • “Directions are cheap; company, not so much.” 5 gold a day to take them with us.
      • They are both armed with bows and axes.

Location: Blinsky Toy Store

  • There is a heavy-set man with a monkey.
  • We notice a doll that looks like Ireena.
    • He says it’s a special order and not for sale.
    • Captain of the guard Ivax Strazy asked for the doll.
      • He has ordered many dolls.
  • Quest: Rumor says a clockwork man made by his previous master lies somewhere in Castle Ravenloft. If we retrieve it, we can have his monkey.
  • Caelen accidentally knocks over a display.

Location: Burgomaster’s Mansion

  • We notice people walking in with bundles of twigs and walking back out without them.

Location: Market

  • We hear noise on the other side of the market. Ismark and Ireena are being approached by the guard (Roll Initiative).
    • Ireena, Elara, and Ventus get captured.

Characters Met / Mentioned

  • Danaca Doracova: The bartender at the Blue Water Inn in Vallaki.
  • Ringtavio: A ringmaster of a traveling carnival.
  • Ivax Strazy: The Burgomeister’s personal bodyguard and head of the guards in Vallaki.
  • Zodar Zoldaravish: A wolf hunter.
  • Yegenny Krustan: A wolf hunter.
  • Gedof Blinski: A famous toymaker.

Session 7: 03/01/2025 #

Possible Flee Locations for Yorick

  • Stockyard
  • Church
  • Inn

Location: Blue Water Inn

  • Yorick arrives first at the inn, followed by Caelen and Poxom.
    • Ringtavio can tell that something is off, as Yorick asks him suspiciously about any happenings around town. Caelen and Poxom tell Yorick to lay low.?
  • The guards burst into the inn, and Ringtavio trips them with his cane.

Location: St. Andral Church

  • The party does not know a St. Andral, but recognizes the motifs. It looks similar to the altars in the other church, like Pelor, but is slightly different.
  • The party meets Father Luchan.
  • Quest: Father Luchan says a small boy, Yesker, told someone about the bones of the saint, and then later, the bones were missing.
    • Milivoj might have taken them. He digs the graves outside and is an older, temperamental boy.
    • Henrik, the coffin maker, paid him 2 gold to take the bones. He has a house in town over by the stockyard.
  • Caelen speaks privately with the father about hearing voices. The father says that Caelen may be hearing the trapped souls in Barovia, as the souls cannot escape Barovia even after death.

Location: Coffin Maker’s Shop

  • Yorick and Caelen sneak out at night while Poxom and Nicholas take a long rest.
  • They unlock the barred door and see 13 coffins inside.
  • They see 3 doors and go through the farthest left door.
    • Cabinets in the room appear to have non-valuable belongings from the dead, taken by the coffin maker over the years.
  • They go through the next door and find a workshop.
  • They go through the next door and loop back around to the main room.
  • They go through the next door and go upstairs.
  • They open the door to the left upstairs and see a large room beyond dark vision. There are crates in the room. The crates are nailed shut.
  • They go through the next door and find a kitchen.
  • They go into the next room and find a bedchamber with a man asleep in the bed.
  • Yorick looks in the wardrobe, finds a false bottom, finds 2 bags, and takes them.
  • Items: 30 silver, 12 electrum, and the bones needed for the quest.
    • Yorick donates 15 silver and 2 electrum. The father gives him back the silver, saying it is more valuable.
  • Nicholas gives back the bones.

Location: Burgomaster’s Mansion?

  • Elara and Ventis wake up in a bedroom, manacled on opposite ends of the room. There is a dirty single window. The sun is still up.
  • They can tell they are not alone, but have no clues as to who else may be around.

Location: In Town (next day)

  • Elara and Ventis are paraded out in town to the stocks.
  • Festival of the Blazing Sun: a parade with a wicker ball and the burgomaster.
  • It rains. The burgomaster tries to light the wicker ball but cannot because of the rain.
  • A man laughs, and the guards descend upon him. The party uses the distraction to get their captured members out.
  • Ismark does not see Ireena, freaks out, and starts busting out the others in the stocks to buy the party time to escape.

Session 8: 03/08/2025 #

Location: Vallaki

Actions Taken:

  • The party fled to the church.
  • Nicholas was honest with Father Luchan.
  • The party escaped over the wall using a rope north of the church.
  • The party retreated to abandoned houses west of town.
  • Worm scouted out the town.

Characters Met/Mentioned:

  • Oleg: A man in an abandoned house who told the party about Lady Watcher.
  • Lady Watcher: Wants to remove the Burgomaster from power; lives in north-central Vallaki.
  • Burgomaster Valkavitch: The Burgomaster of Vallaki.
  • Uri: A guard who might be able to let the party in; involved in a “book club.”
  • Ivax Strazy: Head guard; of utmost standing in the community and an enemy of Strahd.
  • Cassimer Vilicoth: A dusk elf with cut-off ears; knows about the Amber Door.
  • Muvash: A Vistani with a missing daughter named Arabel.

Quests/Information:

  • Find Lady Watcher in north-central Vallaki; tell her Oleg sent the party.
  • Inquire about the “book club” to potentially get information from Uri.
  • The Amber Door is on Mount Ghakis; the secret to breaking Strahd is hidden there.
  • The “white sun” is an old term for the morning load, an ancient god of these lands.
  • A Vistani named Muvash has a missing daughter named Arabel.

Notes:

  • Ventis has a patchwork of scars and skin.
  • The Burgomaster’s house has guard dogs.
  • The SW gate was open during scouting.
  • Ismark or Ireena were not in the stockades.
  • The Burgomaster said Lady Watcher was not an enemy of his family line.
  • The Burgomaster seems uninterested in the bones being returned to the church.
  • Three sullen gray-cloaked figures were outside a house at the Gypsy camp.

Location: Gypsy Camp

Characters Met/Mentioned:

  • Cassimer Vilicoth: A dusk elf with cut-off ears.

Information:

  • Cassimer and his brother are dusk elves, the last of their kind.
  • Dusk elves opposed Strahd, lost the great war, and were murdered; the Vistani were placed in charge of them.
  • Strahd cut off Cassimer’s ears.
  • Cassimer dreams of the Amber Door, which is on Mount Ghakis.
  • The secret to breaking Strahd and freeing the land is hidden on Mount Ghakis.
  • Strahd went from man to beast using things in the mountain.
  • Mount Ghakis is a 1-2 week journey on foot.
  • Cassimer would join the party if they head to Mount Ghakis.

Notes:

  • Three sullen gray-cloaked figures (elves, not drow) were outside a house as the party approached.
  • Next session, the party will talk to the Vistani and Muvash.

Session 9: 3/22/2025 #

Location: Vistani Camp

Initial Actions & Observations:

  • A Vistani named Alexi is being whipped outside a tent.
  • The Vistani can provide potions that temporarily allow travel outside the mists of Barovia.
  • The Vistani names are Argo and Muvash.
  • Muvash’s daughter, Arabel, is missing.
  • Arabel went with Alexi (19) and did not return, resulting in his punishment.
  • Arabel (11) has been missing for about 2 days, lost in Vallaki.
  • Caelen used Friends on Alexi. He lost Arabel in the Vallaki market after a carriage passed and broke sight. They were supposed to go to Lake Zarovich.
  • Arabel bought a male finger puppet doll at the toy store and wanted to keep it to herself.
  • Arabel is tall, with pale skin, blond hair in a long braid, wearing riding pants and a blue and red blouse with a vest.

Quests/Information:

  • Shipments of wine from the winery have stopped. The winery is far to the west, near the town of Kresk.

Location: Lake Zarovich

Encounters:

  • Bluto, a fisherman.

Actions Taken:

  • Three boats are on the shore; one is out about 400 feet with someone fishing.
  • Half of the party goes to the fisherman, Bluto.
  • Bluto throws a burlap sack overboard, which appears to contain a body.
  • Bluto appears drunk but does not smell of alcohol. He speaks of a dream about throwing a white deer into the water and a large fish appearing.
  • Arabel is found in the sack. She found Bluto in Vallaki heading towards the lake.
  • Arabel is taken back to the Vistani camp.

Location: Vistani Camp

Actions Taken:

  • The party takes a long rest.
  • Yorick has a dream similar to Bluto’s, about throwing Arabel in the water for personal gain.
  • Yorick tells Muvash about the dream and learns that her bloodline is from the first Vistani.
  • The party receives horses and a carriage as a reward.
  • Elara receives 2 short swords as a reward.

Location: Road West

Actions Taken:

  • The party reaches a crossroads: Lake Baratock (NW), Kresk and Tsolenka Pass (SW), Vallaki and Ravenloft. They head SW.
  • They reach another crossroads: Kresk (N), Wizard of Wines (SW). They head towards the Wizard of Wines.
  • The party heads towards the winery as it gets dark and foggy.
  • A man is waving from the treeline north of the vineyard.
  • The party approaches the man, Dabian Markencoff, and 8 or 9 people in the treeline.
  • Dabian Markencoff says his family owns the winery and was attacked minutes ago by forest people and their minions, so they took refuge in the woods.

Location: Winery

Encounters:

  • Forest people and their minions.
  • Dabian Markencoff and his family.

Actions Taken:

  • The party notices they are being followed by forest people while sneaking.
  • They enter the loading dock; the door is broken and will not close.
  • They see someone pouring something into the wine vats and tree creatures scurrying about.

Session 10: 03/29/2025 #

Location: Winery

Initial Actions & Observations:

  • The party went upstairs and found a room with a crane used to raise and lower barrels.
  • They saw a man with wild hair waving a staff at them on the crane, who then ran off.
  • They encountered three creatures in a room: one appearing human and covered in mud, and two creatures made entirely of vines. Roll Initiative.
  • The party noticed that the winery was surrounded by similar tree-like creatures.
  • The wine was poisoned, but the specific poison is unknown.
  • A staircase leading to a basement was discovered, and the party proceeded downstairs.
  • A secret door downstairs was found, leading to a shallow cave.

Encounters:

  • Man with wild hair
  • Human covered in mud
  • Two vine creatures
  • More creatures and humans in the basement. Roll Initiative.

Items Acquired:

  • Tooth necklace from the lady pouring poison into the vats.
  • 57 silver pieces (sp) per person.
  • 45 electrum pieces (ep) per person.
  • 10 gold pieces (gp) per person (Nicholas gave his share to Yorick).
  • Sponge black shaft from the man with wild hair (Gotiath’s staff). Destroying it kills all the tree people.

This document contains notes from a role-playing game campaign, specifically sessions involving a group’s adventures in a setting called Ravenloft. The selected notes detail Session 11 and include information about locations, quests, encounters, items acquired, and characters mentioned.

Session 11: 04/05/2025 #

Location: Winery

  • Reward: Get a shipment of wine to the Vistani.
  • Quest: Three ancient seeds were planted at the winery; two were lost. The tree folk took the last one, and the crops at the winery won’t last past a season without it.
    • Yester Hill is where the tree folk came from (to the south).
  • The party leaves for Yester Hill and comes upon a bundle of clothing stuffed in a hollow log (drab common clothes).
    • Boots and paw footprints are seen.
    • The party burns the clothes.
  • The party continues south and arrives at Yester Hill.

Location: Yester Hill

  • The party hears the sound of distant hooves coming from behind and hides in nearby trees.
  • A flaming-mane horse runs through the sky and circles the hill. Someone is riding the horse.
  • Forest druids come from the rocks (approximately a dozen are seen).
  • The party heads up the hill.
  • The party sees a giant statue of a man with fangs.
  • On the other side of the ring, there are small, sickly trees with blood and sap running down one tree. Humanoid needle creatures are roaming around it. Ten druids are in the ring chanting and doing some sort of ritual.
  • The party finds Strahd as the rider on the horse in the grove right to the side of the top of the hill in the grove.
  • A large 30-foot treeant appears when a lightning bolt strikes the earth.
  • Strahd implies that the treeant is heading towards the winery.
  • Nicholas asks about Ireena but fails a Wisdom saving throw and is convinced Strahd is doing good for the land of Barovia.

Location: Winery

  • The party chases the treeant heading towards the winery and roll initiative.
  • @11:50 Elara gets pumped.
  • Loot: There is a grapefruit-sized green gem in the treeant when it is killed. It is probably the seed the party was sent to retrieve.

Location: Old Water Tower

  • The party starts escorting the wine towards the Vistani camp.
  • The party heads towards a lake halfway through the trip and sees a skeletal horse and rider with a lamp looking through the fog. It is heading southeast to northwest. Carriage drivers think it’s lost looking for a way through the mist.
  • The party approaches an old water tower upon the lake. Near the tower is a purple carriage spattered with mud. The party hears a wolf howl in the distance. Yorick opens the cart, and it explodes. The party hears the wolf howls again, suggesting they are likely to descend upon the group again.

Session 12: 04/12/2025 #

Location: Tower

Initial Actions & Observations:

  • The name “Khazan” is carved on the tower door.
  • An electrical discharge surrounds the tower when Worm knocks on the door.
  • An exploded cart near the tower contains items such as a morning star head, shattered vials, a copper pot and pan, manacles, and part of a tarokka card (1 of glyphs).
  • Yorick enters the tower through a high hole in the wall using scaffolding.
  • Inside, there are four hanging chains and four clay statues.
  • Saying “Top of the tower” activates a pulley system with the statues.
  • The tower’s top room contains a bed, stove, desk, chair, suit of armor, and a wooden chest with a strong lavender scent.

Items Acquired:

  • Head of morning star
  • Box of shattered vials
  • Dented copper pot and pan
  • Half a set of manacles
  • Part of a tarokka card (1 of glyphs)

Letter Contents:

  • A vampire murdered the writer’s child, Arasmas, who was a “Minion of a nightstalker.”
  • The writer lived for centuries and hunted the unnatural.
  • The Vistani gave Arasmas to a vampire, Baron Metis, who turned him into a vampire.
  • The writer killed Arasmas at his son’s request.

Encounters:

  • Strahd

Actions Taken:

  • The party attempts a long rest but is interrupted by two dozen approaching wolves and a person walking among them.
  • The party rides to the top of the tower.
  • Strahd appears in the rafters.
  • Nicholas shoots at a wolf and misses.
  • Strahd bites Nicholas, reducing his maximum health by 10 hp.