Session Analysis
Reading the Cards, Ignoring the Ooze
The Party
J
Julius
Human Monk
D
Drisella Red Dawn
Half Elf Druid
Namta
Tiefling Bard
J
Ja'ms
Half Orc Bard
E
Elora Meridian
Half Elf Ranger
A
Azareal Dawnsinger
elf Cleric
Session Recap
The party spent their final moments in Waterdeep shopping — Drisella secured a new sword for Quincy, Elora outfitted Spike with a canine crucible muzzle, and Namta picked up a cowl for disguise. J'aams and Namta infiltrated the Vistani parade while the others entered the carnival grounds with tickets. Inside the Promised Land Camp, Elora's Primeval Awareness detected undead among the staff, and her Insight revealed a dark ooze surrounding their host, Madame Eva. Despite deep skepticism, the party sat for a Tarokka reading that revealed cryptic guidance: their quarry lies in the womb of darkness, a holy symbol waits in a corrupted town, a sword of sunlight hides at the Wizard of Wines, and someone waits near the beating heart of the castle. Madame Eva then unceremoniously ejected them into a foggy, unfamiliar forest — Barovia. After shooting down a raven scout and nearly starting a fight, the party was escorted to the walled town of Krezk by a flock of wereravens. The guards refused entry without a favor: kill the werewolves that have been terrorizing the town for months.
Notable Quotes
"You must face the worst of all truths. You must face the evil of this land alone."
— Madame Eva, delivering the one card nobody wanted to hear
"I saw your scout and I shot him down out of safety. We believed you to be part of the devil's kindness."
— Elora, attempting diplomacy with the wereravens after already killing one of them
"All is not well. There is just always a promise of violence."
— Wereraven, cheerfully describing life under Strahd's rule as they escorted the party to Krezk
Developing Situations
- Eliminate the werewolves terrorizing Krezk before the next full moon in order to earn entry into the walled town
- Acquire silver weapons or silver-coated arms before engaging the werewolves, as the party currently lacks silver
- Investigate the corrupted abbey outside Krezk, which may be tied to the Tarokka clue about a town where all is not well and a dark room full of still ghosts
- Locate the Wizard of Wines, identified in the Tarokka reading as the hiding place of a sword of sunlight
- Find Lukan, Strahd's right-hand man who travels with the Vistani, and determine what role he plays in the conflict ahead
- Determine how to reach Castle Ravenloft and what awaits near the beating heart of the castle
- Address Crush's growing cost — using him for large requests is beginning to drain Orange Julius's hit points
Major Events
Shopping Before the Storm
Before leaving Waterdeep behind, the party split up to handle last-minute preparations. Drisella visited the weapon shop, commissioning a miniature broadsword for Quincy, which the Aarakocra smith produced from scratch for 3 gold. Elora visited the same shop and, after letting Spike choose between a spiked vest and an iron-toothed muzzle attachment, purchased the canine crucible for 50 silver plus a 1 gold training fee — though Orange Julius used a luck point to skip the lesson, claiming to recognize the mechanism from his House. Namta slipped away to Fanny's Fabrics and commissioned a black polarizing cowl to conceal her face and horns for 20 silver. J'aams purchased a sound-amplifying finger cream from a musical oddities shop, and the shopkeeper mentioned his brother Ayr had been welcomed into the Vistani. The party then converged on the Promised Land Camp.
Madame Eva Reads the Tarokka
Inside the Vistani camp, the party was led to Madame Eva — an older woman with salt-and-pepper hair, purple accents throughout her clothing, and a gnarled cane. Azareal's sober Insight and Elora's Primeval Awareness revealed undead staff throughout the camp and a dark ooze emanating from Eva herself, though she was not undead. Namta's Detect Thoughts failed to penetrate Eva's mind. Despite serious reservations, the party agreed to the Tarokka card reading. Eva drew five cards, each paired with a cryptic prophecy: what they seek lies in the womb of darkness at the devil's lair; a holy symbol of great hope waits in a town where all is not well, inside a house of corruption filled with still ghosts; a sword of sunlight is hidden at the Wizard of Wines, in wood and sand; and the path to their enemy leads to great heights near the beating heart of the castle. The fifth card warned that they must face the evil of this land alone. When the reading concluded, the orb cracked and Eva expelled the party into the mists.
Arrival in Barovia and the Raven Incident
Ejected from Eva's caravan, the party found themselves in a foggy, swamp-like forest with no clear sense of direction. Orange Julius climbed a tall tree and used Crush as a telescope to scout the surroundings, identifying snow-capped mountains to the north-left, a smaller bald mountain to the right, a valley ahead, and the distant tip of what appeared to be a church. Elora used Survival for a 24 total to determine they were on the west side of the map, while Dick the familiar confirmed a winery and a closer brewery nearby. When a single raven began circling overhead — and Elora identified it as likely a familiar-type scout — she drew her bow and shot it down with a 21 total. This brought five massive ravens circling down, who transformed into wereravens in human form. A tense confrontation followed before diplomacy won out: the party explained they came via Vistani passage, compensated the kindred with silver coins, and were given an escort toward Krezk while learning the history of Strahd Von Zarovich and his domain.
The Gates of Krezk
The wereravens deposited the party at the stone walls of Krezk — a fortified town ringed with manned arrow slits — and took their leave. After Julius introduced himself and J'aams through the closed gate with considerable formality, and Elora smoothed over the moment by calling Julius her temperamental husband, the guards sent out an emissary: Karko, a young Drow child with ash-black skin and yellow-ringed black eyes. Karko explained the town's single condition for entry — deal with the werewolves that had been terrorizing Krezk for months. He noted the full moon was approximately seven days away, identified silver as the key weakness, and described an abbey outside town that was once holy but had since been corrupted and was likely filled with ghosts. The party agreed to the terms. Julius recognized he could smelt silver coins into weapon coatings if the town could provide a heat source, and Azareal began planning a stored sunlight spell. The session ended with the party on the threshold of Krezk, preparing to handle their first official task in Barovia.
Achievements Unlocked
Namta
Worst of All Truths, Best of All Cards
Madame Eva read the entire party their doomed fates, cracked her own crystal ball in the process, and dramatically kicked everyone out of her wagon — and somehow you still found time to pocket the Dark Lord Tarokka card on your way out the door. You faced the prophecy of inevitable evil and thought, 'I'll take a souvenir.'