Curse of Strahd

Upon reaching the camp they came across a hurried scene, as Vistana were running to and fro. The group met with a man who seemed to be delegating the lot, sending out teams into the forest and beyond. They learned from this man, Arrigal, that his niece Anabelle was missing, and that no one had been able to find her for half the day at least. Over half the Vistani that lived in the encampment were out searching, including several Dusk Elves, the likes of which the group had only read about due to the rumors they had died out long ago. Arrigal asked for their assistance in finding her, describing her as a little girl in a yellow sun dress and ribbon. While Nick was suspicious of the description, Chiaroscuro proffered that he could help track her with the help of Flicker the Shadowember Cat, who could perceive scents better than anyone in the party could. Arrigal had a young Vistana teen bring out a spare ribbon that Anabelle wore in her hair, and Flicker gave it a healthy sniff before leading the group back to town.

Heading north, the party left through the gate to Lake Zarovich, where they had heard earlier that day from Lady Petrovna that the wolves have been more active in the area of the lake. As they came to the edge of the water, they couldn't see anything save for the small row boats at the shore and one in the water, with a man fishing within. The party got in two, Alexir and Kenshi in one rowboat, Cash, Nick, and Chiaroscuro in the other, and both rowed out towards the man in the middle of the lake.

Approaching him, the group asked how he was doing, but upon speaking the words, the man seemed to be in a daze. He didn't respond, instead slowly lifted a large, tied off burlap sack over the water and dropped it into the lake's frigid waters below. Kenshi sprung into action, leaping into the water and diving quickly to save whatever was trapped within the bag. He reached out, fingers barely grazing to grab the strings of the sack, bringing it to the surface a few seconds after diving in. Alexir threw a dagger at the man in the boat and knocked him out easily as Kenshi brought the girl out of the bag while he climbed into the boat. Cash connected the man's boat to the one he and Chiaro and Nick were rowing and both boats headed back to shore.

While en route to the shore, Kenshi explained where he was from to Anabelle, who was a precocious and curious thing. In the opposite boat, Chiaroscuro and Nick had a conversation using Nick's Psychic Whispers, where the Elf-ish rogue explained that they were from north of Waterdeep and that they had a sister just like Chiaro that they're very fond of. The moment passed once they got to the shore and questioned the man in the boat, who had started to come to from the intense shock to his system.

The man introduced himself as Bluto Krogarov, who had heard a tale that if one would sacrifice something to the lake, they'd be blessed with fish. He took advantage of Anabelle being there where she wasn't supposed to be, seeing her as a missing Vistana child in the middle of town where Vistani children are not allowed to be. The party left him at the north gate, informing the guards there that he had attempted to murder a child for fish, and headed back south to the Vistani camp, Anabelle in tow.

When she arrived home, the party met her father, a large, mountainous man named Luvash, who carried her around everywhere with him now that she returned home to him. He offered the group a gift of treasure as thanks, along with allowing Willemina and Udo to stay with them no questions asked, as they had been willing to save the one thing in the world he cared for. Simultaneously, he also asked the group for help, as their wine supply was low and the Vistani group were growing dry. He requested they go west to check out the Wizard of Wines, to see if anything was holding up their allotted shipment. The party, serendipitously, was already en route to the same place, so offered to check it out for them as well.

First thing Chiaro wished to do, even prior to getting food, was to retrieve Flicker from their spot spying on Strazni. Upon returning to the Burgomaster's estate, they swung around the back, and Chiaroscuro gently called out to his familiar. Slowly, a small ember slid through a few cracks in the plaster and cobblestone, transforming back into the little flaming ball of darkness that the party has grown to love. Chiaroscuro asked Flicker what it was he saw, and much like how Chiaro looked when he was witnessing through Flicker's eyes, he now saw a playback of the prior night.

He saw under the bed, the spot that Flicker chose to hide out for the night, and the vision was rapidly passing by, almost like Flicker was playing out the scene at five times speed. He saw the feet of Strazni enter the room, kick some of the discarded bottles strewn about further into the back corners under his bed, and lift up out of sight. Flicker's vision then slowly crept out from under the bed, jumping from the floor to an elevated corner watching the scene from on top of Strazni's closed trunk. Here, Chiaro saw Strazni take several swigs out of a bottle of wine, before dropping it to the floor, having finished it off. From here, he dug to find one of the dolls of Ireena, stroking its hair and muttering something with glassy, bloodshot eyes, and finally rolling over to fall asleep. From this position he remained, back to the doorway, for several hours until he rose with the overcast sky, redressing himself in clean clothing, and heading out for the day. He took a glance at Flicker's position once, but did not seem to have noticed the shadowember cat.

Chiaroscuro questioned if Flicker was able to hear what Strazni had said and with a small chirruping meow, Flicker was able to replay the sound for Chiaroscuro into his thoughts. Chiaro heard a gruff, stilted, slurred voice as the thought of Strazni stroking the doll's head replayed. He heard him question why she was there, why was she plaguing him so severely, and how he could fix this sight he kept seeing. Chiaro relayed this information to the group, and while it did paint Strazni in a different light, everyone came to an agreeance that Ireena should not be told about this. She had made it clear prior that she had no interest in hearing about some freak who was obsessed with her, especially seeing as how Strazni made the count of those up to two.

With Flicker in arms, they went back to the Church of St. Andral. From their spot, they were pleased to see Ireena had joined Father Petrovich with handing out food, which today was a small loaf of bread coupled with a meaty rice porridge. She asked how the day fared them after they had left yesterday, and while they said that, while they managed to have an eventful day, they felt like they didn't have a lot of information on anything that could help them in the future with regards to the festival. Father Petrovich proffered the return the the Burgomaster's manor to check in on Lydia, his sister, as he hadn't seen her in services in some time and was worried about his brother in law's temper, as he had become quite controlling in the recent years. They agreed after having some breakfast, with Nick deciding that Chiaroscuro should be the recipient of their Psychic Whispers, and returned to the manor to make their entrance back in Lydia's good graces.

Entering the home, a lot of the decorations had been finished and were laying on the floor to be assembled fully later, or set aside for the festival proper that was to happen the following day. The maid that took them in and directed them towards Lydia Petrovna did so again, and she was happy to see so many new people in such short notice. She took them into the dining room where she was having a midmorning tea break, and sat them down with glasses. Kenshi took charge of the conversation and inquired about how she had been lately, stating the information they had received from Father Petrovich. She sounded dodgy in her answers but did not stray from her fully committed "all will be well" personality that had been built into her. During the conversation, Chiaroscuro excused himself for the bathroom, and left to do some quick recon on the rest of the house, summoning and resummmoning Flicker into rooms to scope them out. A few times he nearly was found, the chef that seemed to be preparing lunch for the Burgomaster and his wife nearly running his hand directly into Flicker's burning little shadowfire forehead, but never was he found. This brought him upstairs as he looked around in the rooms that he was not privy to from the last time he looked around. While keeping quiet from alerting Vargas of his presence in the house, Chiaroscuro's searching lead him to discovering a locked closet at the end of the hall, where a mostly naked, battered and bruised man lay gagged and unconscious. Picking the lock quietly, Chiaro lay a gentle hand on the man, causing some of his scratches and scrapes to disappear, but he did not stir further. Chiaro Whispered to Nick the findings, and Nick excused themself from the table as well, citing that they were also heading to the restroom.

From here, the rest of the group was kept in the loop with Nick's psychic whispers as well, and they all were aware of the beaten man in the closet. Nick and Chiaro tried their luck at picking the lock to his manacles, coming out with two sets of broken lockpick tools and a jammed lock. Chiaro sent Flicker into the next room so that he could distract the dogs so that it would muffle the sound of a precisely placed Eldritch Blast, and Nick stole a bedsheet to cover the man with. They escaped the home with some help from Cash, who disguised himself to look like Lydia and having the maid take a nap due to how tired she seemed, and the rest of the party took their leave as they all brought the man back with them to the church.

Upon arriving to the sad, sagging building, one could only imagine how it looked in its heyday. The man leading the group here knocked on the door and a tall, attractive butler that Cash had met prior opened the door, allowing them all inside. The group were directed towards the dining room, which conjoined with the parlor, where Lady Wachter sat at the head of the table, expecting them.

The spread in front of her was lavish, the china fine, and the silverware sterling. Turkey, rabbit, pork, a meat loaf made from ground beef, and delicious vegetables and fruits all lined the table's many plates as she allowed them all to dig in. Chiaroscuro abstained from eating due to being full from cakes and tea earlier in the day.

As the group ate, Lady Wachter proffered them a job, which was the reasoning for her missive towards them. She asked their opinion on the Burgomaster, Vargas, lamenting on how horrid his treatment of the city, and even his wife was. She also made mention about how it had been rumored that two servants of Vargas' had gone missing recently, and that she was becoming frustrated with the onslaught of festivals and parties and gatherings that the Vallakovich family were putting on. She asked if anyone they knew shared her sentiment on those festivals, and it was known to the group that many people were finding it hard to handle wave after wave of forced happiness, not only that but the last festival left a rather large swath of children without parents to care for them.

In this, she asked the group if it would be possible for them to do away with Vallakovich all together, as his actions and subsequent reactions to certain folks showed his color all too well. His farcical "All will be well" chant was causing more and more people to fall into a dismal strife from their desires and the factual real world.

This request took the whole group by surprise, and they questioned Lady Wachter's plans after Vargas' death. She informed them that she'd take over leadership, as Victor was no Burgomaster, and the power vacuum would lead to chaos in the streets. Nick asked what qualifications she had when it came to leading a town, and she listed proudly her running a quite successful book club, the fact that she was one of the few noble houses in town, and the fact that she was, by all accounts, a practical and intelligent woman whose only better at this task would have been her husband had he not died a few years prior. She also informed them that a signing bonus of 500 gold pieces would be rewarded to the group if they decided to take the job, and another 2500 gold pieces upon killing Vargas and his bodyguard. The sound of the gold caused Cash to perk up in interest.

She asked that the group think on it, and Kenshi relayed that after the festival would be the best time for them to come and give her their answer. She looked disappointed, as she wished to have this done prior to the festival in two days, but if that was the case, she allowed them to leave. The butler lead the rest of them outside and they were left to think on the situation that lay before them.

As the two of them did this, Chiaroscuro, Kenshi, and Alexir waited outside, the three of them circling the building to try and attempt another entrance. As Chiaro got a boost from Alexir to the second floor window, he realized he couldn't enter the building, as the windows were sealed shut and unable to slide open. He attempted to do some recon regardless, and summoned Flicker within the room as the door opened to an exploring Cash in disguise. With this, the two of them went to look for any other things in this house to try and suss out where it was that Strazni stayed, and upon entering the main bedroom where Vargas and Lydia lay, the two saw the rope to the attic and used it to climb the stairs up. In the attic, they saw a mess of items and a clear path through everything where a room at the end of this maddening hoard stood closed. On the outside of the door was a skull painted on the door and a sign on the handle reading "All is Not Well", a jest at Lydia's tic of a phrase that Nick had been hearing all the time they sat, eating and drinking from this small tea party they had intruded upon.

Chiaroscuro was informed that Nick had been cajoled into sewing for the play, and left Kenshi and Alexir to join Nick and the other ladies in the sewing circle. Here they found out that Strazni was a drunkard and a brute and that no one in the town truly liked him, as he was an intimidating sort. Lydia actively did not discuss him, almost afraid of him and requested any other conversation be brought up. Nick was informed mentally through their Psionic Whispers that Cash had found a weird door and excused themselves from the sewing table to go and find it themselves. From here, the other two were also informed and the whole group entered the attic, Chiaro included as he had to excuse himself from the tea party much like Nick. Here, the group kept knocking upon the door, bothering the inhabitant. The door opened to no one in the room and a shout of "Go The Fuck Away!" astonished everyone as the door then closed again.

Following this, they decided to head downstairs to check on a room that Cash informed was locked prior, and upon picking the lock, the five of them stood agape at a room filled with dolls. Every single tiny doll looked exactly like Ireena, all in different little outfits. Nick took a doll as the rest of the party looked around, finding nothing but a chest with a hidden sword at the bottom, and a bunch of cheap wine bottles littering the floor under the bed. This was definitely Strazni's room.

The group decided to try one more time to see if they could approach the door upstairs in the attic, and so they began knocking again, eventually talking the inhabitant into letting them in as well.

Victor Vallakovich was a scrawny man with heavy bags under his eyes, as he dispelled the Invisibility spell he had cast upon himself. He discussed his plans to attempt to leave the country, and showed them his paperworks with the designs to do so on it. He admitted that he had talked two servants into attempting the Teleportation circle he had made and the only thing he saw happen was that they disappeared into a flash of bright purple light. He informed the party also about Strazni and that his father hired the man when he was but a child and that Strazni already had a body count by that point. He also informed them that Strazni's Monstrous Arm was a newer development as he had been missing an arm as a child, and the new one could cast some sort of magic. Victor asked if Chiaro knew anything about that sort of thing because as a Tiefling, Chiaro should have known fire magic, right?

After leaving Victor to his strange magics, the group exited the home no better having entered, only slightly more knowledgeable in the interim. Before heading out of the building, Chiaroscuro decided to leave Flicker in Strazni's bedroom to spy on him as needed during the night. He didn't know if anything would come from this action, but it was better to keep an eye on the man than not.

As they walked back to the Blue Water Inn, Chiaroscuro asked Cash about Tiefling history, as the young man had never known another Tiefling before. While he questioned him, Chiaro shared a bit of private information with Cash about the makeup of his body, as it had been changed by the Khayal that made up Chiaro's patron. Cash commented that he didn't have anything like that at all, and that he should feel proud of being so blessed anatomically like that. It was here that Nick overheard the salacious information, having been left out on overhearing such juicy gossip in the past.

Leaving the old man behind, Kenshi met up with Nick, who had traveled up the stairs to keep an eye on him. Nick opened the door to the left room, allowing Flicker to run out of the room and bounding down the stairs. The two took a quick look within, and both came to the conclusion whatever was in there was not a problem currently, and that the group should head home with the bag of bones before it got too late. Alexir broke the door down to the back of the shop, letting Flicker jump into Chiaroscuro's arms, and then back within the lantern. Cash took a look around the shop to double check they weren't missing anything, and the group decided to head back to the Church.

On the way home, Chiaroscuro noticed that they were being followed, a figure in a dark cloak had been writing something down in a notebook. Unable to make out who or what they were, he brought Flicker back out and held him with his stomach against his chest so that he could see through the Embercat's eyes to make sure the person had not followed further. Getting only a glimpse of glasses and a beard wasn't much to go off of, however. Upon reaching the Church, Father Petrovich looked over and welcomed the group back, surprised they had finished so quickly with his task. They brought the bag back to the Priest's office in the back of the Church, and as he was counting out the bones, Chiaroscuro had described the sights in the spare room, and also the person following them. The Priest informed them that it sounded like Ernst Lanark, one of the men who worked for Lady Fiona Wachter, but he couldn't be sure one way or another. All the same, the group had finished his task, and he went to go bring the bones back to their holy niche.

While Father Petrovich was tending to the Church, the group brought Ireena back into the office with them to inform her that there might be a problem with her staying in town, as there's a man who has been obsessed with her, forcing the Toymaker to make disturbing dolls in her likeness. This information left her reeling, and unable to really come to a consensus. Either she be left in the Church indefinitely, a prison unlike her mansion in the Village of Barovia, or she walk around, unable to be safe without constantly looking over her shoulder. They all decided, Ireena in tow, to go to the Inn for a quick bite to eat and to talk things through.

Entering the Inn, Danika welcomed them back again, and offered them some warm soup, which everyone but Nick agreed upon (Nick had received some dried offal that Ismark had cured from Chiaroscuro on the walk there). The group had sat down to discuss the following days in town. As the Festival of the Burning Sun was brought up, and they remembered that attendance was Mandatory, the worry for Ireena's safety was once again at hand. If her attendance was necessary, so was Strazni's, and if he saw her, the group didn't want to think about what could happen to her if that occurred. Danika, overhearing this, proffered a wooden mask that they had worn in a past festival, hiding Ireena's face and giving her an easy disguise to wear upon the festival date.

Everyone came to the consensus that the Festivals were... quite disturbing, along with Strazni's actions, so they decided to drop Ireena off back at the Church, and head to the Burgomaster's Manor to discuss the issues with him. Before heading off, Cash and Alexir went to check on Snowflake, who had been taken to the back of the Inn, tended to by Urwin Martikov. He introduced himself to them and asked a favor of them and their group going to check on the winery. The Inn's supply was running dry and soon they would be out of wine entirely, and the shipment is three weeks late. He couldn't go himself and leave his wife and sons alone to run the inn, so he was asking help of the good Paladin of Tyr. Alexir said that he would bring it up and see if they could work it into their plans, and Urwin understood, grateful for that at least.

While the others were dealing with a strange mountain of a man, Chiaroscuro and Alexir were helping acclimate Ireena to her new role, Chiaroscuro assisting in mending the orphan children's clothing while Alexir took a break from the mental stress by sitting in a pew a bit away's from the pulpit. Father Petrovich sits with Alexir, and the two chat a bit about their tiefling companion, Chiaro. He mentions that he was a bit surprised, because he thought the air of holy energy he felt was radiating of Alexir, but no, Father Petrovich said it came from Chiaro. Alexir mentioned he never felt anything of the sort, but agreed that there was something special about the man. Petrovich agreed, telling Alexir to keep an eye on him, as he could see some awe inspiring things from the young man.

As Father Petrovich stood, the rest of the group walked in, toys in hand for the others, and everyone took refuge in the Priest's back office to discuss the happenings. Nick, Cash, and Kenshi informed Chiaro and Alexir of Strazni, told them how he had been seeing Ireena in his dreams and he had been forcing Blinksy to make Dolls of her for months now, and

Chiaroscuro, who had been making a bit of headway with the orphans, was voluntold to discuss the bones with Yeska with the new toy that the group had bought for him and the rest of the orphans, a moderate sized puppet show with marionettes of a king, a queen, a prince, a princess, an executioner, a tax collector, a dunce, a vampire, and a vampire hunter. Chiaroscuro did so, with some coaching from Nick and the group who used their Psychic Whispers technique, using the toy with Yeska to discuss difficult topics like the death of his parents to the Wolf's Head Jamboree, and also how scared he was and what to do to combat this fear. Yeska confirmed Father Petrovich's suspicion that Milivoj had been the one he had told about the bones, and the group set outside to confront the surly teen about them.

It had started to rain a bit as they left the building, and Milivoj was digging a grave in the wet mud. He allowed the group to help him out of the hole, and as he was interrogated, everyone could see he was simply a stressed, tired, frustrated teen who was working so hard to support his family after his parent's had passed. They asked who hired him to steal the bones of Saint Andral, and he informed them of the Coffin Maker, Henrik van der Voort. When asked how much he was offered to steal them, Milivoj reluctantly said that he'd get fifty gold pieces for the bones, enough money to last his family a while. After getting the rest of the necessary details from the boy, Chiaro offered five gold pieces to him to help him out for the next while. When everyone else had started to leave, Cash flipped him one of the Gold Rings from the Death House, Milivoj catching it deftly in the air, and told the lad that while he understood doing whatever was possible for money, to avoid bad jobs for bad coin. Milivoj agreed, and left to go inside away from the rain.

The group made the plan, approach the Coffin Maker's home, Kenshi will enter the shop as a possible customer, Cash will use Disguise Self to pass as Milivoj asking for his money, and, the rest will enter where they could to get the bones. Unfortunately for them, upon approaching the building, the group were forced away upon knocking, Henrik van der Voort being a gruff, antisocial old cretin. While Cash began to use Disguise Self on himself, Chiaroscuro asked for a boost up to attempt to see into the second floor from Alexir, and while barely, he could see through the barred and slatted windows into a dark room filled with boxes and supplies. He summoned Flicker in the center of the room, his eyes glassing over to be able to see through his Familiar's sights, and looked around through Flicker to find anything close to the bones. All the while Cash's Milivoj disguise was applied, and he was able to get inside the front office of the Coffin Maker's home, demanding his money from the old man.

Nick entered the room after checking to see if the three others were awake, informing them that Ireena was still asleep from last night's binging episode. Kenshi, shirtless and sweating, entered the room as they revealed that information and went to go check on their ward. Ireena awoke with a splitting headache and Kenshi checking in on her, and joined the people in the other room to chat, ask about the cat that Chiaroscuro had named Flicker, and inquiring about possibly heading out to get some food. Nick asked Rictavio if there was anywhere that they could get some food this early, seeing as how the inn wasn't open for a while longer, and he informed them that the Church of St. Andral had morning services and there they offered food for the less fortunate. Ireena had requested they attempt to find the Church anyways so that she could request sanctuary, and they headed out to the street.

On the way there, Chiaro asked Alexir how it was that he was able to use healing magic so easily, and Alexir explained that it was just something he was able to do as a part of his training as a Knight of the Order, but that it flowed through him easily and was inherent to his skills. Chiaro asked then if he could attempt with Alexir's still pained hand, and upon channeling his magic, Alexir noticed that Chiaro's horns twitched and he accidentally caused more harm to Alexir's hands with his untamed magical ability. Alexir tended to his newer pain in his prior injured hand, and the rest of the group teased them both for their PDA.

Upon reaching the Church, they saw it was equally as old as the one in Barovia, and peering inside they made out what seemed to be twenty or so odd folks with the Priest at the front leading a sermon, Altar Boy at his side holding a ladle as people came up for warm bowls of what appeared to be a cream based broth. The group came up at the end of the Priest's words on the Morning Lord, and he soon addressed them, new faces among his flock and so many unusual ones at that. Ireena asked him for his sanctuary, and he happily offered it, even offering her a job as a teacher to some of the orphan children like the Altar Boy they had gotten food from (whom they learned was named Yeska). He however, asked the group for their help, and took them into a side room to discuss things further.

The Priest, whom they learned was named Father Lucian Petrovich, was the only one up until a few weeks ago who knew of the reasoning as to why the Church of St. Andral had been so well protected for so long, and that was due to the bones of the Saint Andral that lay beneath the altar, hollowing the ground around them. He informed them that Yeska was a very frightened child and had been suffering terribly from nightmares, and so he told the boy he had nothing to fear with the blessing they stood atop from Saint Andral and his sacred remains. Not long after this, the bones had been absconded from their resting place, and while the Priest had his thoughts as to who did it, he did not want to point fingers and make this all public before the big town festival that was in a few days. Father Petrovic was under the impression that it was his gravedigger who took the bones, a slightly older boy named Milivoj, who had a bad temper and attitude and had been acting a little suspicious as of late. He didn't want to cause him to go into a rage, and so he didn't outright accuse him. Kenshi asked of any other new members of his flock, and he spoke of a woman named Willemina Rikalova who had started to come to see her son be saved as he had been arrested for defying the laws of the Burgomaster, Vargas Vallakovich.

With information in hand, Alexir and Chiaroscuro asked to stay behind and assist with the duties in the Church and helping Ireena with her settling in, as Nick, Kenshi, and Cash all went to head down the road to Blinksy's Toys.

Upon reaching the building, they could barely see within the dirty glass windows, opting to walk in. As they entered, Kenshi was able to Catch a Projectile toy in mid air as everyone looked up to see a small monkey in a dirty pink tutu climbed amongst the shelves of weird, macabre toys. Almost immediately after, a large, portly man in a moth eaten jester's cap and frock came out, scolding the monkey. He, noticing the rest of the group, offered his sales pitch, and the party spent a bit of time asking Blinksy questions while perusing his strange wares. Here they notice a doll in the likeness of Ireena Kolyana, their charge, and they questioned whom it was for, Cash transforming into a near identical version of her to give him an idea as to how she looked. Blinksy informed them of a strange, terrifying man named Strazni who demands the toy maker to make these dolls once a month at risk of his life and his shop. Blinksy tells him he's probably doing the Burgormaster's orders in the middle of town, as he was Vallakovich's right hand man and bodyguard. Everyone bought a few toys from Blinksy, who thanked them all with a sloppy cry, and the three left the shop a little lighter on coin and with an intent to head to the center of town to see this man for themselves.

Nick talking with the three at the table learned that the Half Elf was a Bard named Rictavio, who was staying at the inn on an extended stay, the gentleman to his side was Vasili von Holtz, and the woman was a strong blacksmith named Mira who was originally from Krezk but had been in Vallaki studying under excellent tutelage of Arasek, a tradesman in town. Rictavio had an air for the dramatic, and while talking with Nick, looked out the window as he saw the already bleak sky darken, and rushed out with a wolf steak and two apples in hand. While this happened, Cash chatted with the two men, to find they were Nikolai and Karl Wachter, two noblemen who were anything but. They were already drunk and had been making passes at the waitstaff all night, and Cash managed to impress him with his musical talents enough for a free drink or two.

Dinner was Wolf Steak for the grand majority of the group and Borscht for Chiaroscuro, with Kenshi eating two steaks practically rare. Asking Danika for any information she might have as a barkeep, she hemmed and hawed over the new festival coming up in town, how it was a silly thing as they were just cleaning up from last festival. She also spoke of a few things from the other towns, one being the news from the town of Barovia that there was a serial killer afoot, a person known as the Ripper who had been rumored nearly 20 miles over. She also spoke on Krezk, how it had been unusually silent as of late, but Krezk was also quite insular so it could be nothing.

Chiaroscuro made idle conversation with Alexir, wondering to how his background went, and Alexir explained how shifters are and commented on how Strahd was the cause of his whole family's death. Kenshi sat and listened with rapt attention, soon after looking up as Rictavio returned, steakless and apple shorn, out of breath with a cut on his cheek that had not been there prior.

Cash asked about the Wachter brother's past, and they rather curtly told of their mother, Fiona Wachter, how she was a noble woman in town, and how they're out of the house because she constantly had her book club coming and going and they were sick of it. Chiaroscuro asked Danika if she knew anything of the area discussing the tower he had been told of for his fortune, but she questioned which tower, as there was one that was to the west of the town that had been there for as long as she could remember, and then there was the new one that sprung up a little while ago to the east, nigh on fully formed and looking indescribable upon viewing it over the horizon.

Looking him up and down, Cash was easily able to determine that Rictavio was a bard here, and he questioned the cut upon his cheek. He explained it was probably from rushing over here, as he had been visiting his friend the poor, destitute toy maker. Chiaroscuro and Nick looked intrigued at the thought of a toy maker, but Rictavio commented that the items that Blinksy made were rather... questionable. One of the children practically popped out of nowhere and showed Kenshi one of the toys he had from Blinksy, a bat taxidermy that had been fashioned into a marionette with strings. Kenshi was delighted at the sight, happily taking the toy for himself when offered it.

Nick asked where Vasili, the sad, quiet man sitting and drinking with Mira and Rictavio, was from, and he explained he was from Vallaki but traveled a lot lately due to his brother being locked away for accidentally killing Vasili's betrothed. Nick didn't fully trust this story, but nothing seemed amiss from Vasili's words, and they didn't know the history of the country, or town for that matter.

The Wachter Brothers had made a bet saying if Cash could impress them, they'd pay for their stay in the inn tonight, and Cash delivered with a rightfully impressive display of his Bard skills, leaving the room astonished and Rictavio incredibly impressed.

“Well, the lot you see before you. A mixture of fur and horn.

We came her from far about upon some foggy morn.

The doctor standing there behind me. Lacking beside manner and tact?

Has claws as sharp as his wits and is always primed for the attack.

The fellow there with chest bare and with ears that twitch and thwip?

Why had I not seen it myself I would hardly believe it but he slayed a bloodsucker with a whip.

And this one besides me, with eyes blocked by glass?

A blade of magic, thrown about, can easily kick ones ass.

Over there, with many eyes, staring the whole group down?

Why he's got magic of such power and flame that it is of some great renown.

And me? Why there's nothing to say. Merely some lad from Waterdeep.

Though, I hate to brag. My own magic can put a few down for a permanent sleep.” (Credit to @lonestarcelt)

Not long after Rictavio, Vasili, and the two Wachter brothers started to head to their own places for the night, Cash following the brothers as the rest of the group took two rooms for themselves. Nick and Ireena in one small room together, and Chiaroscuro, Kenshi, and Alexir took another, with a spare bed in there for Cash. Thankfully he had that bed, as when he approached the Wachterhaus, he was rebuffed at the door by one of the butlers that Lady Wachter employs. The butler, looking down to Cash, gave him the suggestion that he choose better companions than the young masters of the house, and sent him home. Cash memorized the directions to the manor on his way back to the Inn.

Heading back to the road, they were able to make it to the Vistani Encampment at the Tser Pools in about an hour. There they were invited in graciously by a group of Vistani who were passing a bottle of Purple Grapesmash no. 3 around. There, the group heard a bit more about the attack on Castle Ravenloft from one of the Vistani men in the group, who explained the story about the wizard who had attempted to overthrow Strahd but was ultimately thrown by Strahd over the edge of the waterfall and was never seen again. After the story, the group were informed they should speak with Madam Eva, the oldest matriarch in the group.

Entering her tent, she invited everyone in by name, taking everyone off guard. She was sat back, smoking a long pipe, and shuffling a deck of cards. She invited them to sit down and informed them that they have come quite a ways, but there's still ways still left to go. She offered her assistance in the way of Tarokka, a deck of cards that she could use to see into the future. With these she could inform the party where to go to seek power in destroying Strahd.

Everyone in the group save Ireena took a card, as Madam Eva informed her she as far too gone to get an accurate reading. Alexir, Chiaroscuro, Nick, Kenshi and Cash all in turn took cards, and Madam Eva spoke on each of them. Alexir took the Philanthropist card, informed that a piece of knowledge is where sickness and madness are bred. Chiaroscuro took the Guild Member card, informed that a great holy symbol is with a guild member's tomb, surrounded by bottles. Nick took the Missionary card, informed that a sword of sunlight is found in a garden of snow surrounded by scarecrows. Kenshi took the Beast card, informed that an ally to the cause is a werewolf, and to use her anger to their advantage. Finally, Cash took the Tempter card, informed that their encounter with the devil will be behind a woman of great beauty, atop a tower of treasure.

After she answered a few questions about the reading, one person stayed after as the rest of the party filed out. Chiaroscuro requested an audience to see whether or not she could find his sister for him. Madam Eva took a quick peek within her crystal ball, and informed him that she was locked in a tower that was close by, but that there was a strong warden who would hold him back from reaching her if he got too close, and that he would need to grow in strength first. But she offered a bit of hope to him, and in return he gave her a bit of handspun lace. She took it, a bittersweet smile reaching her old lips and she said it was a shame for the wedding. Chiaro was confused, the wedding is still on. Madam Eva shook her head at this, and informed him that it wasn't his though. That comment stuck with Chiaro as he left the tent.

Kenshi, after Chiaro left, slipped back inside the tent to question Madam Eva himself, asking if she knew who he was. She did, but she wasn't going to say anything to anyone, and even though Kenshi threatened to take out loose threads, she commented to consider her an unimportant piece of the design. No reason to harm someone like her, especially if touched Kenshi would simply be cursed to the ends of the world. He followed up with a question on whether or not the key to his victory over his true foe is in Barovia, and she smiled and said yes, she believes it is. Without further follow up, Kenshi left the tent with a thank you and a bow.

Asking for a cart, one of the Vistani men hemmed and hawed for a moment, offering one with a horse for 700 gold. Cash proffered a loan of the platinum necklace he took from the Death House, which was worth roughly 750 gold. He offered that as collateral and said that at the end of their journey, they would return the horse and cart just as it had been in the Vistani's hands. The man took this trade and offered a horse he had raised from a filly, a beautiful grey white horse with a white starburst on the front of her face. He informed the party her name was Snowflake.

Everyone attempted to see how well they got along with Snowflake, but it seemed that she was finnicky with everyone in the group save Ireena. That being said, Alexir was the second best at taming the rude mare, so he and Cash sat up on the drivers seat together, with Kenshi on top of the carriage, Nick on the back keeping watch, and Chiaro and Ireena inside.

While they travelled from the Tser Pool, they rode past the falls that the Vistani man mentioned previously, hitting a bridge not long after, and riding through the country side. Ever present on one side of them was Strahd's Castle, Ravenloft looming like a bad omen in the wake of a possible good day. Not long after that, they rode past a windmill that looked strangely familiar, as if they had seen the symbol emblazoned upon a great many items within a very deadly home. Driving past, the scent of pot pies wafted into the carriage, the meaty, bready pastry making everyone hungry as they smelled what must have been pork on the wind.

While they were stuck in the carriage, Chiaro and Ireena began to chat, first about nothing serious, and then hitting on the topic of Kenshi, whom both were confused and curious about. Kenshi, eavesdropping on the gossip, slipped inside the carriage as well silently, and surprised both Ireena and Chiaroscuro with his presence and his own questions as to what they wished to know about him. Stunned into silence, the group rode silently until they got to the gates of Vallaki, where they were stopped by two guards with pikes at the ready.

The front of the Church was not locked, and upon opening the double doors, both their eyes shot open wide. The sight of the chapel was horrifying, shreds of paper, straw, cloth, wood all about the room. Nothing was intact, not a single pew, not a single book, nothing. The sight of the destroyed Holy Place sent both Alexir and Chiaroscuro into fits, Alexir babbling incoherently and Chiaro bent over weeping uncontrollably, all while more screaming came from the depths of the Church building in front of them.

The rest of the party, Ireena, Ismark, and Father Donovich in tow, as the sermon had finished and Ireena was starting to prepare herself to head out, came forward after this breach within the church. Nick slowly tried to calm Alexir, Chiaro, and now Cash who had also gone into a state of Paralysis after hearing the screaming, while Kenshi interrogated Father Donovich about the incessant screaming. Finally, he broke, and the truth was revealed.

The Father's son, Doru, had went missing roughly a little over a year ago, when a magician from the mountains came down to rally the townsfolk to fight Strahd. He had left to head into Ravenloft, never to be seen again... Except he was, a month ago. Laying on the front of the Church one night was Doru's half living body. The Father could tell he had been turned and to keep him, and everyone around him safe, he had kept Doru locked in the basement of the Church. It was after this that people tore the place apart, mortified that the Father would Desecrate the land with a still living Vampire in their home. Many townsfolk avoided the Church after that.

Father Donovich had no willpower to kill his own son. He was but a simple man, not a fighter, and was not able to do much on his own. He mentally, nor physically, could have finished his son off. Kenshi looked down upon Donovich, who had fallen over and was wailing on the ground, nigh on as loud as his own son was below them, and forced him up and talked him into coming down to the basement with them to face Doru and "ask him some questions".

As they were prepping to go down into the basement, Kenshi told Donavich that allowing this creature to stay alive was desecrating the sanctity of the Church, and thusly, the Hallowed Ground outside where they had just buried Kolyan's body. He then began to intimidate him, by trying to get him to do the proper thing and allow them to finish Doru off. Donovich, however, caught a breath and dug deep within himself to stand at his full height and inform Kenshi that no man, woman, child, or other was going to come into his home and demand that he kill his own flesh and blood.

A brief moment of struggle to get the trap door downstairs to the basement open, and Donovich led the group to the basement; its cold, damp, and darkened display showing the gaunt, starving form of Donovich's beloved son, Doru. Doru hissed and hid as much as he could whispering soft words of hate and how he could smell the party and their blood flowing. Donavich approached him to try and get him to calm down and discuss things but as soon as Donavich got within range of him, Doru pounced and bit down deep into his father. The rest of the party had little time to prepare for such a vicious display, watching in horror as the pale face of Father Donavich was drained of his life force by the man he had been fasting and praying to save.

Cash quickly sprung into action, casting Hideous Laughter on Doru, the man falling to the ground laughing as Cash uttered a terrible pun at the situation. He quickly informed the party to tie Doru up, but both Nick and Chiaroscuro had attacked him in retaliation of Father Donovich. Not that most of the damage did much, because as soon as Alexir brought Nick's rope towards Doru and tied him down to the pole, he had regained what little health he had lost.

As Doru relaxed from the incessant laughter that plagued his body, he attempted to get free of his binds. Cash offered the compromise that if he answered some questions about Strahd and the Castle, they'd let him free, and they'd even give Doru the choice of whom he fed on next. Doru, at the sound of a blood offering, broke down, frantically babbling about anything he could remember about Strahd's Castle, the man himself, and why Strahd was obsessed with Ireena. He informed them of the Heart of Darkness deep within a Tower in Strahd's Castle, he informed them of the maze like structure of the building, and that Strahd had been calling Ireena 'Tatyana' for the entirety he had been there, and that he didn't know much else after this due to being trapped in a prison like structure with another person in the cell near his own.

After he expounded the severity of him receiving blood, Kenshi smiled, offered his hand, and then began to pull back, striking out at Doru with his claws. Alexir had given Doru a few good whacks with his Whip as it was bathed in holy Divine Smites. This helped bridge the gaps as Doru was unable to regenerate his body's health, as the Radiant Damage from Alexir's Divine Smite had negated all regeneration to Doru's Spawn Body.

Doru's body was resilient, and he was strong as he broke out of the bindings that the party had left him in; however there was little that could be done as Alexir's whip crushed his rib cages and broke his spine. Killing him was like taking Pot Shots in a Barrel of Fish, but it was still frustrating to have not one, but now two bodies to deal with, after having handled Kolyan's funeral just that morning.

Everyone brought Father Donovich's and Doru's bodies up to their respective rooms, leaving them there for a brief moment while Alexir and Kenshi went to go get assistance from the local grave diggers, the imposing twins Barrik and Derrik, who lived down the road. Chiaro, Cash, and Nick went to grab supplies from Bildrath's Mercantile on the way to Ismark and Ireena's Mansion.

Kenshi knocked on one of the doors, not expecting to see Barrik answering the door as he held in his arms a small child drinking from the bottle. It was almost comical how miniscule the child was in relation to his large, imposing form. Kenshi explained the situation to Barrik, who sighed, nodded, and handed off his infant to his equally large and imposing husband behind him. They all went to Derrik's house next door to inform the man of the situation as well, and Barrik made the comment that this was the third and fourth graves they had to dig today, what with Kolyan's and another beggar man's grave from last night.

At Bildrath's Mercantile, the group did a bit of shopping, selling two of the rings that Cash had filched from the Death House, but unfortunately the price gouging in the town of Barovia was exorbitant, making just that barely enough to purchase a rope, a water skein, and a bed roll with rations for Chiaroscuro. Nick eyed the products carefully, if things were this expensive, but Bildrath simply shooed them away after they had finished their shopping trip.

Inside, the group got acquainted with Arik, the barkeep, and a young man named Ismark Kolyanovic, the son of the Burgomaster, Kolyan Indirovic, who bought the players a round of Red Dragon Crush after hearing they survived the Death House. He informed the players that not many come out of that building, much less destroy it. He laments that it was pointless to do so, as the house has been rebuilt once before, and so the loss was less a boon for the people and more a delayed problem to handle by another group of wayward adventurers.

The party had several conversations amongst themselves, but the crux of the night was Ismark asking them to help him in escorting his sister out of the village and away from Castle Ravenloft, which loomed over the horizon line like a beacon of pestilence and plague. Ismark invited the party to come to his manor to discuss things over fully in the morning, and to meet his sister properly. Before leaving the Tavern, Chiaroscuro asked for a spare bit of offal or scrapped meat that the providers had lying around. Due to Arik's simple nature, the man slaughtered a sheep to offer its entrails to the timid man, who took it reluctantly.

Upon reaching Ismark's mansion, the players observed the terrifying sight of the constant barrage of attackers on the building. Scratches against the siding, scorch marks, the works. Most every window had been boarded up from the inside to keep attackers and the like from getting within. Upon entering the home, the group met Ireena Kolyana, the adoptive daughter of Kolyan Indirovic, the man in question lying dead on the floor in a coffin.

Ireena displayed a strong will and dominant spirit, but also seemed anxious about further visits from Strahd. She had fortressed herself in the manor in an attempt to stave off any further attempts from him to attack her, and her sibling. Ismark bade the group to help them by escorting Ireena to the next city over, Vallaki, where she would hopefully be further away from Strahd's influence.

Ireena only would leave the town if the group would help her bring the Church at the north of the town, so that she could lay her father to rest under the protection of the Morning Lord, the deity that the country worshipped. A bit of miscommunication between her, Ismark, and Kenshi lead him to believe it was his services she required, however he said he would help with the transportation and rites once they reached the Church to the north. He had concerns with Ismark about the fear of him being raised for unsavory work, but the worry was abated by the knowledge that the Church was Hallowed Ground.

Everyone tentatively agreed in assisting with Ireena's request, and Ismark allowed the group to stay in the mansion, there being plenty of room for them all. In private, Chiaroscuro attempted to discuss things with the lantern he carried using some of the offal he purchased, and being unable to quite yet, used Bottled Respite to allow himself into the lantern itself. Coming out of it, the offal he had prior was gone.

After a night's rest, Chiaroscuro approached Ismark who was nursing a hangover with a cup of coffee and a willow branch. He stated his worries about being useful to him as a bodyguard for his sister, especially when he himself was looking for someone in Barovia. He wasn't a Warrior, he was a Seamster, a tailor. Ismark reminded him that he was able to come out of the Death House alive, a feat few could claim. He also posited that he had no lead on the person he was looking for, so wouldn't it be helpful to go and escort Ireena so that he could meet more people and find more clues. At the end, Ismark said he couldn't force Chiaroscuro's hand, and in the end it was his decision to make. The nervous tiefling, after the words of encouragement, agreed to assisting Ireena away from the town.

Ireena rolled out a map for the town, showing the party a wide view of the country, showing them the first possible place Ismark has chosen for her to reside in. Other than Vallaki, Ireena also made brief mention of Krezik, the city on the far end of the country, the furthest from Strahd and his influence. The group also questioned certain other points on the map, the Vistani Encampment to the west, a large structure on a hill, a fortress like place southwest of Vallaki, and a tower on a lake Northwest of that. Finishing the brief overview, it was then time to start with the funeral procession.

As the group helped carry the coffin through the town, several people exited their homes to watch in honor of Kolyan's passing. Approaching the Church after some time, everyone could see that it too had been ravaged by monsters and flame, the doors especially marked. A brief moment after Ismark knocked on the door, a portly man whose cassock showed plainly that he had been prior much larger exited the building, quickly shutting the doors behind him. Father Donavich regarded everyone kindly as new guests, offering Kenshi a known greeting as well. He made quickly towards the back, where the plot had been prepared in advance for Kolyan's body.

As Father Donovich, Ireena, Ismark, and Kenshi stood near the cemetery plot, the rest of the party stood back awkwardly, not really having much to say in this instance. No one else had known the man, so any involvement would have been superficial at best. Standing back near the church, both Chiaroscuro and Alexir could hear wafting up from the inside of the thick stone walls and thatched roof a cry of desperation, and mournful hunger.

The group took a brief swing around to look at the last few rooms they hadn't approached before heading further into the Cultist's lair, especially seeing how the chanting got louder each time they got closer to the stairs down. Reading the names upon the stone slabs, they came upon Gustav, Elizabeth, Rosavalda, and Thornboldt Durst's tombs. Kenshi opened Elizabeth's after several failed attempts from Nick and Cash to open a tomb, and upon sliding the stone off her coffin, took a step back as a Swarm of Centipedes scuttled out of the coffin and attacked. The Swarm suffered a loss, but not before severely damaging Kenshi and nearly downing Alexir, who had taken a Critical bite before the Swarm had a chance to be felled. Getting him back up with one of the four health potions in the footlocker from the Ghoulified Durst's bedchambers, the party decided to take a brief rest before heading down to the final layer of the House's Basement.

As they reached the final floor, they could all now hear the words of the chanting that had been an incessant hum throughout the dungeon prior, now a dizzying and electric chorus. "He is the Ancient. He is the Land." Surrounding them was a menagerie of macabre little artifacts, all confusing and the group speculated about them for a brief moment, wondering if the portcullis that they saw down the way in the thick, murky water was opened by some sort of mechanism there. The group saw elsewhere, however, down the hall to the other side of the portcullis, the jail cells that they cult used for prisoners, one still chained, robes tattered and body a desiccated skeleton, picked clean. Chiaro noted a secret door in the wall just across from the skeleton, and opened it to a massive Antechamber, a walkway surrounding the waterlogged room as a massive Dais and Altar rose from the center. To one side, a crumbling portion of the wall showed nothing at first but a pile of refuse, but as soon as the group entered the room, the chanting came to a sudden and deafening halt.

The group investigated the pile of trash to the one side, coming to realize that it was actually undulating slowly, rhythmically. As they came to realize it was alive, Kenshi took a step atop the Dais, jumping the water so as to not get wet. As soon as he landed, the cult's voice erupted once more, dozens upon dozens of spectral red figures standing around the dais, chanting a new, more perverse tune. "One must die. One must Die. One Must Die. ONE MUST DIE!" The party dismissed the idea, and upon this refusal, the massive beast beneath the trash pile awoke from his hundreds year long slumber.

The party had little issue with the writhing Shambling Mound, felling it quickly despite some problem with the water. However, the real trouble began as the House's demand for sacrifice was not met, and so they needed to escape, NOW.

Rushing up through the room with Strahd's massive Statue, the party came unto a very different scene as they climbed the ladder to the den. The fireplace had filled with smoke, hiding within it the taxidermized wolves that had begun to snarl and growl. Nick helped the party Sneak through, with Cash's Bardly Inspiration, undeterred, and the party made way for the Grand Hall, then Entrance. As they entered the Foyer, the came to their astonishment that the door had been bricked shut! The door behind them started to swing close but Nick once again helped everyone through the door before it closed on them for good. Heading through to the Dining Hall, they found a gored and bleeding man, screaming as he was bound to the table, the next meal for the skulking cultists who were crying out for food. Kenshi with deft precision cut through his jugular, also severing his vocal cords, giving the man a merciful death as was his Way. The man's spirit, following this, offered assistance with a challenge they faced coming after that, and the group attempted to figure out the next step to getting out through the windows as they were bricked up, but wasted far too much time, and had to forge onwards and upwards, the only way out is off the Balconies on the third floor.

Heading up the stairs, the party was affronted by the armor that had decorated the hall on the second floor, a miniature Phalanx with the four suits coming down to barrel them over. Nick, once again with Cash's Bardly Inspiration, leapt and swung from one balustrade to the other on this spiraling staircase, skipping the suits of armor entirely as they forced their way forward. As they reached the Third Floor, however, the Bathroom door had begun to buckle and break as a deluge of raw sewage water came rushing out and for the party on the stairs. Nick and the rest leapt once again onto the railing to keep themselves being swept away from the torrential force, the water hitting the Phalanx below them. Seems it wasn't the perfect defense after all.

Heading into the Master Bedroom, the party was stopped by spectral images of the Durst parents, Elizabeth furiously screaming at Gustav as she demanded to know why he would do this to her, to their family, to their legacy. Past her, the party could see their one chance at escape, the doorway blocked with spinning, scythe like blades that rotated inward. With every barb she threw at him, the party could see the blades spinning faster and faster. The party tried to deceive their way through, making her leave and cause the blades to stop, but she saw through their ruse and now the way was blocked, the blades would have torn the lot of them to ribbons had they ventured forth.

They had one final chance, however, the secondary balcony was in the nursemaid's room, and as they entered, a grisly site was shown. The nursemaid was being tended to by several other midwives as she attempted to deliver her baby, who was coming in breach. Much like the last room, the door out was blocked by spinning scythes, them turning in time to the nursemaid's excruciating contractions. Kenshi rolled up his sleeves, the mortician making the decision to bring a life into this world rather than see it snuffed out, and was able to assist with the birth, Walter screaming happily as the blades at the door stop, allowing the party through.

Heading south from the dining hall, the party is ambushed by a large group of Ghouls. The group made quick work of them with a combined effort of Kenshi's quick unarmed strikes and Cash's Faerie Fire, and headed further down to explore more of this dark, ominous dungeon.

They came across a small pair of rooms separated by a hall and a door that, to Chiaroscuro, looked... Off... somehow. Testing the waters, the party attempted to throw a chair at the door, breaking the chair against the wall in the process. Nick finally threw one of their spectral knives towards it, the flash of cobalt blue landing in the door as several blank golden eyes opened, the Door Mimic attacking back. They, however, took care of it quickly, Chiaroscuro Blasting it back ten feet from its starting place in the archway, opening the way to a larger room next to the group.

The party split for a brief moment after dispatching the Mimic, with Kenshi, Chiaroscuro, and Alexir entering the large room to see several chained skeletons clinging to the walls all facing a large statue of a handsome man holding a lightly glowing grey orb. In the other room, Cash and Nick were investigating the secondary room to the side, an actual bedroom of sorts. Cash looked through the boxes and wardrobes, not finding anything of use until he went through the footlocker at the end of the rotting bed, finding several goodies within, including a chain shirt, a nice robe, some potions, a flask of some thick liquid, and a spell book.

The party had a brief rest and a salacious bit of banter as it appeared to Nick and Chiaroscuro that Kenshi must have kissed Alexir, however it was simply the man checking on the other, who had taken a little bit of a cat nap on a squishy bug infested chair. After the break where everyone recouped their hit points and Chiaroscuro his spell slot, they headed up the secret stairs and onto the fourth floor landing.

In the hall of the fourth floor, the group fanned out and looked through some of the rooms. Kenshi entered and immediately left a spare bedroom where he saw a spider, and Alexir found another spare bedroom where after checking it he left with the whisper of the creepy little porcelain doll that sat on the window sill.

The final room the group checked had a padlock on the door, locked up tight and sealed in. Cash had picked up a key from the office and sliding it into the lock, it fell to the floor with a clatter. Inside they witnessed something heart wrenching.

The sight of the children from downstairs playing Paper Rock Scissors, over the stark white bones of their dead skeletons. They introduced themselves as Rose and Thorn, keeping a close eye on the players who came into the room where they were playing.

Rose stated she knew they were dead but doesn't know where their parents are or what's in the basement, but informed Nick that they could find a way into it by looking at the doll house. Nick for a moment got confused, thinking the toy box was the doll house, but the secret was found in the end. A doorway behind a side wall opened to reveal a spiraling staircase that wound down each floor until the group landed in an earthen basement, dark and foreboding. In the background, they could all hear a rhythmic chanting, but not fully. No words could be sussed out.

After Chiaroscuro cast the Light Cantrip on a few items, the party made their way up the hallway they landed on, then left. They took in the eerie atmosphere and upon reaching an underground well, they decided to test how deep it went. Dropping a pebble down the ominous black hole, they waited for it to tumble and the sound to reach them, but it never did. Instead, a small pebble fell from the ceiling, hitting Chiaroscuro in the head. Kenshi, frustrated at the nonsense, asked him to cast Light on it, and dropped it once more down the well, looking up at the earthen ceiling as it dropped from the spot just above his head, pelting him in the forehead with a small, shining rock.

As the group entered the building, they fanned out slowly, taking in a few rooms in an attempt to find the basement door. Not finding it within the first two floors, Kenshi attempted to end his "house call" early and leave, only to find the door locked. He and Nick then found that not only was the door locked, but the windows were too.

The group then fanned out in an attempt to find the basement, and after thoroughly checking both the first and second floors, Cash posited that perhaps the only way down was up. The rest of the party agreed and headed further still to the third floor.

Upon reaching the third floor, they could hear the sound of an infant wailing filling the hall. In an attempt to find the child, Kenshi walked past a suit of armor standing vigil at the top of the staircase, unexpecting the result of it coming to life and attacking! Kenshi suffered several blows, but with most everyone's help, the Animated Armor was dispatched easily. Chiaroscuro, just before its defeat, however shook his lantern in an attempt to get it to do something, causing him to unintentionally cast Detect Evil and Good. With this, he could sense a malignancy emanating from the leftmost room.

Kenshi and Cash inspected the Master Suite in an attempt to find the infant, and Cash found a nice trinket filled with what seemed to be expensive jewelry. Kenshi found the balcony, with an unlocked door and the outside of the house pressed down thickly by fog. He left it be, leaving the door open as the fog began to coil its way inside the home.