Can I interest you in a pie?
So we started this up again. After a short recap on what have transpired, a reminder of the fortune reading they had they were back at Yester Hill. The night was coming and they slept on the hill. Immeral the high elf monk took the first watch. In the middle of the night he heard a voice in the night calling him. He stumbled down to the side of the hill and found a magic spear under a rock. Now, it's supposed to go to some one more attuned to nature like a barbarian or druid, but the barbarian already got an axe and I gathered it was just fair to reward their character and the monk can at least use a spear so he got it. On the way back of course the player rolled a 1 and fell back in the camp getting scolded by the rouge tiefling, Hope. Hope take over the watch. The next morning they head over to the vineyard and give back the second emerald pine cone, restoring it to even greater days,
Lost on what to do, they begin looking for information on cats and witches since the third and final emerald was lost and no one knows where it is (and the book leaves it up to the DM to do whatever you wants with it). They travel to Krezk and are pointed to the Vistanis, but they don't live in Krezk so they have to go to Valaki where they enter the vistani encampment outside the town. They are pointed to the dusk elf leader Kasimir since most of the vistani is out looking for one of the chieftains daughter that have gone missing. Kasmir tells them about places like the stone circle in Berzk near Baba Lyssaga, the Old Bonegrinder and the witches there, the Amber Temple in the mountains and about Wachter family that have connections to Strahd. They also ask him about the mother of evil and he tells of the two possibilities, either the actual mother of Strahd and that would be seeking their answer in the catacombs of the castle, or Baba Lyssaga. He also tells them about his haunted dreams where his sister torments him and he would want the powers said to exist within the temple that would grant one person the ability to raise the ancient dead from their slumber. They decide to head for the Amber Temple since they want to bring Ireena back and could use the powers of the Amber Temple and the scarf that was left of her after falling into the pool. And they walk all the way to Tolinka Pass, but they can't pass through the green-fire curtain since they don't have the ability to suppress or dispel magic. So they turn away and believes that maybe Madam Eva could help them. On the way they decide to take back their windmill since they own the deed after finishing the Death house at the very beginning of the game.
Reminded of the Disney short that won an oscar
Arriving before lunch they look through the surrounding area and finds another set of pillars and children's bones at the centre and agitated ravens all around. Sensing that there's something wrong they sneak in and finds even more compromising evidence of evil. Cygnus Swanfeather, the eladrin paladin senses fiends inside the windmill and they decide to act. Sneaking up to the second floor they see an old lady sweeping the floor and they attack. Hope puts a dagger in her back and she shrieks in pain as the form of the old lady turns into that of a night hag. Immeral strikes next. The hag counter by casting eyebite and frighten Immeral (I wanted to put him to sleep, but fey creatures like elves can't be put to sleep). Katrina Bargov, the human sorcerer throws fire bolts at the witch. Another hag comes down the stairs and throws the spell hold person on Toby, the half-orc barbarian and paralyses him. Another hag arrives and shoots a green bolt against Hope. Its a ray of sickness that would cause her to take poison damage and impose disadvantage, making it impossible for her to use her sneak attacks against the hags. Sadly, the spell misses. Cygnus attacks and divine smites the first hags with his silver sword. After enough attacks her concentration breaks and the spell over Immeral dissolves, freeing him from the frightened status. As revenge Immeral attacks, and attacks until the hag dies. This breaks the hag coven and takes away the hags abilities to cast the spells they have been using. Our heroes Now focuses on the hag keeping Toby paralysed (since he isn't that good with wisdom saving throws it seems). After enough bashing that concentration is also broken and Toby finally can rage and bring the hurt upon the witches. The second witch is killed and all are focusing on the final one. In the end Cygnus is the one that cuts the witches head from her body and it rolls down the stairs she was standing on.
After their victory they search the windmill and finds two children looked up in cages and rescues them. The kids was sold to the hags by their parents for dream pastries (which the hags makes from the children). They decide to take the children back to Barovia and leave them in the care of Ismark before heading toward the Vistani encampment at the pool with madam Eve to search for help in passing Tolenka Pass. So I had to skim through the Dungeon Master Guide while eating cake to find a magic item to use, so they got a ring of spell storing that had a dispel magic spell for one use. Of course, they only know it like a ring with one use and nots its true nature, Will see if they keep it afterwards. Back at Valakia and then we stoped pretty much to resume some other time.
