The Curse of Strahd

Session 6: The Choice

As told by Helios Winston

  • Everyone Wakes to an overcast day with a mist like rain. * I hear that is normal for Barovia
  • Tadg notices a castle overlooking the land of Barovia, as he looks out through the boarded up shutters
  • The bartender and the three Vistani are in the same spot from the night before
  • However, there is a stranger In Ismarks place
  • Utztec and Tadg talk to the human stranger and find out
    • Name: Ziven Zarovan
    • Brown hair
    • Hazel eyes
    • His clothes has lots of red and similar motif to Vistani
    • Plays violin
  • The older vistani woman walks up to helios and apologizes to helios about pouring wine on him and gives him a bottle of red dragon crush
  • I find a parchment on the bottle of wine and it is folded and sealed with the same seal that we found in Durst Manor. It reads [REDACTED] ----------------------------
  • Ismark walks in and heads to the table and greets zevin and the group
  • I go back and forth getting glasses and stew and more glasses. And by the time I get everything to the table, the group decides to leave
  • Ismark leads us, cautiously, through the city to a large mansion
  • The mansion is in disarray. It has been stripped and scarred by dire wolves and large claws
  • Ismark talks to someone and we are invited in
  • The woman is Ismarks sister, Ireena
  • Ismark reinforces the door behind us
  • Ireena will not leave until their father (former burgermeister), who has recently died, is buried
  • We carry the coffin to the graveyard and into the church
  • I cast light on Ziven’s back as he led us, playing his violin along the way
  • There is a terrified scream, and a man kneeling at an alter in the church who we find out to be Father Donovich
  • The screams continue which cause me to drop my end of the coffin. Tadg and Utztec catch the slack before the coffin hits the ground
  • Father donovich doesn’t seem all there to Ismark and Ireena
  • We follow Donovich to the grave site and dig a hole. Donovich performs Ceremony and the siblings join in
  • Ireena looks up at Castle Ravenloft with tears running down her face, with disdain
  • Ismark and Zevin decide that donovich is too far gone and suggests we leave
  • With that done, Ireena joins us as we work our way through the village to head to Vallaki
  • Zevin finds a dry house that we can use to take a short rest
  • While he is drying and packing his violin, he tells me that the screams at the church were that of Father Donovich’s son and he was turned into a vampire. Which explains why he was locked up and why he was hungry
  • After our rest, we headed out of town toward Vallaki
  • The landscape is more dense as we get further from the village of Barovia
  • We came to a fresh, clean river that we then followed for what seemed like forever until we reached a crossroad
  • I talked to ireena to get a better idea of the situation between her and Strahd. She doesn’t believe the group can defeat him
  • Eight zombies attack us on the road.
  • I have a tough choice to make. [REDACTED] ----------------------------
  • We defeat the horde of zombies with the help of Ziven, Ismark, Ireena, and of course B’atz
  • I have made my choice. I have chosen my friends. What will Strahd do to me now? Or am I playing into his hands? I feel like I am growing stronger by the day, or… have I been this way and just never knew it? I believe I can answer that. I have powerful friends, but it doesn’t mean I should lean on them every time something happens. Maybe I can be who they think I can be. But what if that is what Strahd thinks me to be….?
  • We come up to a hill top that is protected by lots of rocky formation. Within these rocks is a circle of covered wagons that are elaborately painted. Outside of the wagons are some colorful tents that have been erected; one being significantly larger than other. At the center there is a large, roaring fire with groups of Vistani sitting about it.