29/08/23
20th Day of Rainmoot: 1492
Mission: Take Ireena to Vallaki
Campaign: Tales from the Bard
Location(s): Barovia
Present: Bernadette Greycastle, Dramos Ethrane, Niall Tharivol, Ragul-Nur, (Roscoe Tosscoble, Moonwhisper) Plus Mule. Ireena and Ismark.
20th:
Niall: "Vallaki then?"
Father Danovich gave Bernadette a small pouch. The pouch contained dust.
Danovich: "This has only one use left. Use it wisely. Throw the dust in the air and everyone within 10 feet of you will become invisible. However, should an individual use violence or magic of any kind that individual breaks the power of the dust and becomes visible again. The effects last for some minutes."
Bernadette thanked the Father.
Danovich: "If you are heading for Vallaki then go to the church of St Andrel and ask for Father Lucian Petrovich. He will help you."
The group left shortly after and headed for the bridge to the south west of Barovia. As they approached they could see a lone rider on a horse on the other side. Fearing it could be Strahd again Niall Tharivol approached cautiously. The rider did the same. As the rider approached. Niall could now see the rider was not a living being. Skin hung off a skeletal form, his mount no better. His armour was old, worn and in sad need of repair.
Niall: "Hail. Are you well? I am Niall Tharivol. We mean you no harm. We travel to Vallaki".
Janus: "Well said. I am Janus Hunyadi, knight of the Order of the Silver Dragon. That said are you friend or foe to Strahd von Zarovich?"
Niall: "Foe, we have met him 3 times. The last only this morning. We fought off Zombies, Wolves and bats. Zarovich himself was there but we fought him off."
Janus: "Then you are indeed foes to be feared. However Strahd does not give in that easily. There must have been a reason. May I ask were the wolves on 4 legs or 2?"
Niall: "4."
Janus: "Then again you are lucky. As you travel to Vallaki stay on the road. The forests are full of Strahd's minions. Wolves on 2 legs, werewolves, are the most dangerous. I would love to kill Strahd but I will await orders from the leader of my Order Vladimir Horngaard. If you have time visit him at the centre of our order at Argynvostholt. He may give you more advice and help."
Niall: "We shall, once we have been to Vallaki."
The rider ambled past the group neither looking right nor left, head down.
jhe group pushed on until Ragul at the rear jumped to one side as a hunters trap snapped shut barely missing his leg. Niall checked the road either side but it looked like an isolated incident. A trap surely forgotten by a hunter long ago. The trap looked old and rusty but still nasty.
Taking the left hand fork they proceeded around some high ground and were heading down a spur back towards the forest when Niall stopped. To the left were 3 poles. On each pole hung a scarecrow.
The group gathered around Niall and Bernadette when the Scarecrows started to move toward the group.
Dramos moved to the right and let fly a firebolt. It hit the scarecrow and it burst int flames. The scarecrow closed with Niall and attacked. A second attacked Ismark and a third was attacked by Ragul. Dramos hit the second Scarecrow with a firebolt and it too burst into flame. Niall was hit once before he downed the scarecrow. Bernadette killed the second and moved to assist Ragul, who had been hit twice. Moving in she slipped her rapier plunging into Ragul. Ragul glared. They both dispatched the third. Bernadette saw the mid riff of the scarecrow moving. She moved the straw away with the tip of her rapier, ready to strike. It was a bird. A raven with a broken wing. Ragul splinted the broken wing and set the raven on his shoulder. It seemed happy.
The approached a second bridge. They could hear before they saw the falls off to their left. Water thundered down nearly 1000ft to the river below. As they stood a wagon approached from a trail to their right. They recognised it as belonging to Madam Eva.
Madam Eva offered to take them to Vallaki as there was no other way they could leave Barovia. Agreeing to travel with her it was about an hour later when they approached the western gates. They were a copy of the eastern ones. Gargoyles standing watch either side. The gates opened as soon as Madam Eva's wagon approached and closed as soon as she had passed through.
Shortly after they arrived before the gates of Vallaki. Before gaining entrance they were asked a barrage of questions, had the law of Vallaki, and registered all of their weapons, told to them by a very officious and serious captain of the guard. They were then directed to the Blue Water Tavern. Madam Eva had not had to go through the interrogation and her wagon was nowhere to be seen when they came out of the guard room.
Bernadette: "We will be arrested, yeah we got it."
It was a short walk to the Blue Water Inn. It's sign, a blue waterfall. The inn was slowly filling but the genial owner made them welcome and offered them rooms, at a price.
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