#osry

Curse of Strahd; Off the Shits continues a pace as our DM kindly works to let us play out an endgame we've been building towards for years.

IN THE MEANTIME more of our bullshit;

Touchingly, Garland's dead husband Creed helps him cast Spirit Shroud.

Milan's Pinup, with perpetually sharp kitchen knife.

Whenever we meet the old men who are irrefutably barreling on towards their tragic destiny we keep bullying them into being sensible and maybe not doing the dumbest thing imaginable to keep perpetuating their cycles of tragedy. Bully! That! Old! Man!

Milan is having a time.

But he's still here to read the cards for Mortimer's father... oh wait that's genuinely an awful reading... oops.

Vol tries to convince Kasimir not to be stupid (bullying works better.)

Osry is not easily deterred from the hunt for knowledge but we did decide better of going to the Amber Temple for now.

Milan's familiar, Illya has kindof been through it of late. He's fine though.

Vol killed Sangzor the Blood Goat one-on-one (12 rounds, it was a long fight) and gets some new gear and also a ton of barbarian/druid assistance from the mountain folk? Fuck yeah. I think they're taking it pretty seriously though, even if it's Vol. (Not gonna lie it was very fun to have my own special combat segment, much thanks to Dr Prof DM DJ ModMod jenjenjenjamin.)

And one last thing - Mortimer banishing his father, who has been DEEPLY UNKIND TO HIS BOY (and the Morninglord's specialist baby!)

Curse of Strahd crew has been busy! Sadly my husband and I had to miss a session, but that's ok there were plenty of adventures:

Izel and Maverick, with Bluto, went back to lake Zarovich to do their druid shit and help ensure there wouldn't be repercussions from the Mad Mage killing all the fish. Vol came along to swim.

The rest of the crew were rousted into saving Milivoj and his young sibling from the werewolves we have very much been ignoring up to this point (hey they weren't bothering anyone... yet.) The werewolf posse rolled out.

Garland made the encounter VERY SHORT by making quick work of the werewolves' fascist leader (lucky rolls.)

Mortimer got in touch with his inner horsegirl (tm) after many poor animal handling checks in the past.

He also managed to save Milivoj through MORE lucky rolls.

After that was wrapped the crew checked in on them back in Valaki and someone needs to give Milan a kid.

Pazuzu 2.0 has been busy in Valaki making every possible thing he can in his quest for masterworks, including candles that burn underwater and a spice pouch that's extra good - in addition to the usual potions and trinkets.

As we ready ourselves to approach the Amber Temple we sent Motherfuckin' Mordenkainen a missive, given that we DID save him from madness. He has personal investment in this as he still hasn't found his staff (lol.)

Invited into his magical mansion, the crew all throughly enjoyed their dinner as brought to them by magical servants. Vol in particular had a wonderful time, ordering food all night, much of which they can't get in Zarovia. The orders from the others were:

A huge cut of prime rib for Garland (who is from Faerûn and misses beef - which is scarce in Zarovia.)

Frozen chocolate covered banana slices for Osry (who is from ??? and wanted something they've not had in a long time.)

A beautiful Honey Cake for Irina (Zarovia native).

Sashimi for Izel (originally from Ravnica) who just likes an excuse to eat a fuckton of perfect delicious raw fish (there was even wasabi! Real wasabi!)

A bowl of communion wafers for Mortimer. Man has issues.

Something elven and unpronouncable for Kasimir.

Why, yes! These idiots are still trundling their way to glory in Zarovia!

This time on "Curse of Strahd - How can we Help the Civil Infrastructure" our gang marches off to go kill Baba Lasagna Lysaga.

First on the list is slogging through a bog to even get near the ruined city of Berez. No one has a good time up to their ass in half-frozen muck and bugs.

After some spying on said hag, we found out about her freakish illusion baby. Garland was not keen on it.

Milan knocks on another hag's door, but this time the gang isn't even trying to be nice.

Maverick finally finds awesome success with thorn whip - ripping Baba Lysaga out of her sweet ride into the muck.

The duality of Mortimer. He did do fuckin' great though.

Oh and sometimes Vol has feelings but they have a way of dealing with that:

After fighting a tree, our gang returns the first lifestone to the Wizard of Wines, much to the joy and celebration (and shock) of the family. No more fuckin' crazy druids and their stupid stupid blights.

Milan shows off the stone, the younger family members almost afraid to touch it, but excited to have it returned.

Osry explains our plan of "Bury it deep, then put a DECOY rock above it, then put a heavy-ass pile of rocks on top of it using some of the absurd strength of the party." The family is keeping an eye on it though.

Garland, with a moment in private, at last asks Milan to channel the husband he had who passed while they were in the mists. The spirit implies some... interesting, though unclear, things.

(Spoilers for Curse of Strahd - as usual.)

So we went on out to Lake Bartok and ended up meeting one Esme d'Avenir, and got some pretty fucking amazing lore from her in the defunct wizard tower (we also shared our own adventures):

Yes THAT mother fucking Mordenkainen.

Settling down for the night - Vol's just not built to slav squat (the Zarovia natives are all fine, of course.)

Bombshell of the night of course is that Rictavio is one Rudolph van Richten. Turns out Mortimer knows that name from his training.... intimately.

This does explain why he turned down Milan, unfortunately.

Bard communication with a free side of sass as Osry calls van Richten out, but gets no answers. (We and Esme are all much more intent on getting to the bottom of what's going on in Zarovia as the Dark Powers keep Strahd prisoner, than dispatching the vampire lord himself.)

Vol just thinks Esme is so fucking cool.

We took a short step in time back to - Hallow's Night Vigil in Vallaki! As the group stays up to enjoy the fruits of the harvest and scare off the spirits of the new year, quite a lot of mischief has to be had:

Osry was a little late to the party, he disappeared for a while into a room with a bucket and presumed tummy trouble, though it seems to perhaps be more shapeshifter (changeling) business than he was letting on.

Our crew is looking fancy in their masks for the evening (Vol made theirs themselves and will tell anyone facts about fish who sits still long enough.)

The NPCs are out in their best as well - ranging from beautiful to grotesque.

Pazuzu has devised a marvelous test your strength game, Vol does well at it, and Garland KILLS it - Milan does much more... uh, humbly.

There are lots of other things to do - Izel does well at pumpkin carving, Milan absolutely shines. Vol enjoys apple bobbing and 'Dunk the Wolfman'. Garland buffs himself up to do passably at three card monte.

Milan wins the baking contest vs. one of the local babushkas. His bake-off chebureki wins even her approval.

Illya somehow does incredibly well at the local improv contest.

Osry wins enough tokens for an obscene woodcarving.

And all the fun is interrupted by a fully demonic Strazni trying to torch the town and squash our now pretty drunk and mostly unarmed party.

The gang lost Pazuzu to his own hubris - but he left some interesting things behind (we also briefly left Irina with her brother for a short while.)

- Taking Pazuzu’s Iron Defended back to his father, the senior Amberrock (who raised Pazu from an egg he found), the group and the master artificer consider how they might draw Pazu’s spirit back into his own work.  It’s a long night of much discussion which the cleric and sorcerer take to with great interest, the bard considers for usual interesting bits, the druids are somewhat perplexed by, and Vol... gets not much out of.  They fell asleep under a workbench as the group worked late into the night cobbling together all their skills to possibly try to make a soulless automaton draw in their friend’s wandering spirit - needing all of Mortimer’s healing, Milan's Channeling, Mr. Amberrock’s skills, and whatever little boosts and bits they can cobble together.

- Surprising everyone, it fucking worked (with surprisingly no body horror.)  Pazuzu has a long road of healing ahead as he figures out how to pilot this new body.  Get in the robot Pazuzu.

- And like all birds, he is made of hubris.  Poor Vol can’t be angry and happy at the same time, so their emotions are just all over the place.  They try Milan’s line, and, well, Pazu is Pazu.

- Leaving Pazuzu to figure his shit out with his both relieved and angry father, the group heads back from the border town where they all started, finding ANOTHER victim of the mists, a tiefling named Garland...

- Also, Maverick found a really cool monocle with some magic properties:

Curse of Strahd - sorting stuff out at Wachterhaus:

- Mortimer (with the help of Pazuzu, Milan, Osry, and Irina) successfully lifts the curse on Stella with skill and patience. 

- Milan channel’s Lady Fiona Wachter’s beloved decased husband for some very important questions she needs to answer for her own sanity.  We’ll see if this plays out well for her.

- Osry and Vol, who came as backup, pause from eating snacks to overhear a little of this event, the gravitas of which gives even the hungry Vol pause.

- Pazu realizes his pupkin headed dreams with a new (decorative) helm.