Diablo II: Resurected (Switch)

 

To Hell with You!

Where interested in getting this when it first came out for the Switch, but I think it was at the same time as all the controversy came around Activision Blizzards then-CEO surfaced and I just couldn't do it. And now they are bought up by Microsoft and it was a decent sale for the game I thought it was maybe time to get it. I've mentioned before I played through the original game back in... 13 years ago? Damn, and why the hell do I talk about a commercial for a pension agency? It must have been on my mind then.

Story is that the warrior from the first game shoved Diablo's soulstone into his forehead in hope of containing the Lord of Terror. Didn't work that well. The Warrior become the Dark Wanderer and after unleashing demons in a tavern is joined by Marius, a drunkard who had survived the attacks on Tristram. They traveled to Tal Rasha's tomb where Baal, lord of Destruction was held captive by Tal Rasha himself. Finding Baal the Arch-Angel Tyreal stops Diablo from freeing him, but Marius is beconned to pull the soulstone out of the body of Tal Rasha. Tyrael tells Marius to go to where Mephisto is found and enter the gate to hell to destroy Baal's soulstone as Tyrael himself gets trapped in the tomb. Marius follows Baal and Diablo and see them opening a portal to hell and give Diablo his true form back.

This is all shown between chapters. The game is that you create a character based on the 7 different classes, Barbarian, Assassin, Druid, Necromancer, Amazon, Paladin and Sorceress. I chose the Sorceress since I recall liking the sorcerer class in the first game. And I could roleplay it as a beginning for Katrina Bargov from my DnD campaign back in Curse of Strahd. At the first chapter you end up a Rouge encampment where they have fled from a monastery being overrun by Andariel, one of the lesser evils. This is basically an homage to the first game. Yes, you have more walking around in the fields, but there is a monastery and caves which gives the same look as the original. You also fight the original rouge that have been corrupted and turned into an undead. And you go to Tristram to save Deckard Cain. And kill zombie Griswold and find the dead body of Wirt... damn! Everything in the first game turned to shit. At least I can live in denial and believe that all the other people survived since if I can't see them, then they aren't dead. After beating Andariel you head east to the desert where you have to find the tomb and parts of a staff to open it. And as you enter the tomb you get attacked by the lower evil Duriel that constantly killed me. I changed hire from the rouge you get in the first chapter. And then I recalled I could reskill, so I did, went from fire based to ice. Got trounced, thought I should try another skill set and then I realised that you only could do it once. I was screwed so I had to restart. Played it up until that moment again, but I learned that everything I had saved in the stash on page 2-4 came with me so luckily my jewels and gems followed. And I got a lot of better equipment that allowed my hire to actually be a bit tougher, and I checked out a guide for what skills to use. Learning that Static Field was the best for bosses. Great. He died this time. You save Tyrael and heads over the ocean, fights Mephisto, enter hell and kill Diablo.

Back too Marius he had run away at the sight of Diablo and been looked up and have told the story to who he thought was Tyrael, but turned out to be Baal in disguise that wanted back his soulstone. After taking it, killing Marius and burning down the prison or whatever he sets out and invade the northern barbarian lands in order to take control of the Worldstone. After beating Diablo Tyrael sent you after him to the last barbarian stronghold where you have to lift the siege upon their city, rescue captives and prove your worth for the ancients so that you can enter the Worldstone and fight off Baal. In the end Tyrael have to destroy the Worldstone since it has been corrupted. The End!

I've played it once before, or more or less watched as me and my best friend played it back 2000-2003. We played as a Paladin and used a hex configure or whatever to make the character level 99 and give him the best stuff there was. And then we just butchered our way through the whole game. Maybe that's why the cinematic stayed with me since I can't recall the gameplay or what happened as we played the game. So it was rather fun playing it legit this time around. Sorcerer was fun and blasting everyone with fireball is always satisfying. Playing it on console worked really well with the controls, sadly I only learnt about the easier way to use a teleportation scroll far too late in the game. Now, I only played solo offline since I don't have Nintendo Online or any friends to play it. And I don't see that I would play this again unless I got a real craving to see the story again, but there is other games to play. Cause all that is left is the higher difficulties to get better loot to max the character. Maybe a normal run through with a lvl 40 character because most enemies wouldn't stand a chance again.

Overall, I found it fun to play and I can see the addiction of the looter-system. It actually gave me more of a craving for replaying the first game, but it doesn't exist on modern consoles. The claustrophobic feeling of the catacombs and such is amazing, not the same feel here. There's always III, maybe I will get it some time. Or IV if it gets to Switch 2 or whatever the console will be called.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - Tanze Der Vampire (Finale)

What is a man? A miserable pile of secrets! But enough talk, have at thee!

The final confrontation is upon our heroes. From the top of the largest tower they descend to the catacombs once more, guided by Sergei's Sunsword. They deduce that Strahd has retired to his tomb and they follow him. And as they get closer to the portculis blocking their path, Toby gets transported away and replaced by a wraith they kill instantly. They use a dispel magic to unblock the invisible teleporters pad then they realise they can just use the teleporter brazier to enter Strahd's tomb. Toby's still gone and missing. So they teleports right in to the lion's den and begin the fight of their lives.

It begins bad as Echer attacks and destroy Pidlewick II, here on called Fu (don't ask me why, my sister named him). But then the table turns. Immeral cast wall of flame from a scroll blocking Strahds vampiric brides in their alcoves, burning every turn. Katrina uses Banishment on Escher and sends him to another plane of existence. Cygnus meanwhile uses the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind to trap the vampires, succeeding on two of the brides and Strahd, but with one Legendary Resistance he just shakes it off. Meanwhile he summons with the power of Ravenloft a Shadow from Hope's shadow. Don't last long since Rahadin tries to psychic damage everyone and succeeds in hurting our heroes, but destroying the Shadow. At least he got away with two poison darts against Katrina, which hits, but she is able to keep her concentration and keep Escher banished.

Strahd then summons 5 swarms of bats that will appear 1 turn from now. Meanwhile Toby have finally arrived by lifting the portculis and entering the tomb. As he was transported to another tomb where he had to push open a casket and then break free and run back to where he was. Can't do much this round, but he's here. Immeral starts attacking Rahadin and lays a long row of attacks on him (which we learned afterward was not allowed with the rules, so we shall try to remember that for next time). Sir Godfrey meanwhile who used his first turn to lay magic weapon on his sword now could use two attacks on Rahadin. Katrina tried to use a scorching ray, but missed all three. Hope begins sneak attack Strahd after using the first round to shine light from the sunsword. Cygnus starts using Divine Smite dealing 5d8 on each attack. And here it's pretty much over. Two of the Brides burns to death behind the wall of flame as they are paralyzed. The last one is able to escape, very badly burnt I might add by spider walk over the wall since it only goes 20 feet above ground when the ceiling is 30 feet above ground (I felt really smart when I recalled that tidbit so that they at least could escape, not as smart when I probably should have used the run action so she could have left the burning flame one turn earlier). 

After that, the radiation from the sunsword kills Strahd that turns him into mist and goes in to his coffin. Then Immeral spears Rahadin, Cygnus destroys the last bride and the others systematically destroys the bats and shadows that have been summoned. Getruda lies on the coffin so they pick her up and hand her to Geofrey as the others open it. There lies Strahd, resting. They put a stake through the heart and he finally dies (for now, but the players doesn't know that) and turns to dust, leaving behind a part of a rod. They take that and since it's about midnight stays the night in the sleeping quarters. The next day on the overlook they see the sun finally break through the clouds, bring peace to the valley. The spirits of Sergei and Irena appears and thanks them for their help as they walk away into the sky. A month passes and they set up shop in Ravenloft as headquarters. The corrupt politicians are ousted and the foundations of their emporium are being laid. I guess I will have to speculate their treasures are being used to restoring the castle and pay all the employees. And so, the final step is trying to get customers to the domain or trade routes to get the flour out.

Luckily a vistani wagon appears that want's them to come with them to Madam Eve. As they pass through the gates of Barovia they enter the mist and appears in a large chamber where Madam Eve sits at a table near a corridor. As they begin to talk to her she appears to get younger (well, in her 50's at least) and look closer to her half-brother Stradh. She lets them in to meet her master. Passing through the corridor they enter another chamber, a circled room where for portals with beams in the colours red, blue, yellow and green converging on a golden triangle with an elvish looking old man meditating inside. From his forehead the four beams emerge again flowing into a black hole in front of him. With telepathy he welcomes them to the Temple of Elemental Evil where he guards the Nameless One, and that they have found the first part of the rod of seven parts which is needed to stop the Spider-Demon. The Master have localised the other parts in other planes of existence, opening 6 portals for them to choose from. The planes being the different adventure books I have that would be fun to play. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, Out of the Abyss, Tomb of Annihilation, The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frost Maiden and Baldur's Gate: Decent into Avernus. After some debate (and a roll of a die) they end up with Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and the search for a dragon treasure.

So that ends the Curse of Strahd-campaign, 4 years after it started. And it all began when I watched Dice, Camera, Action and felt that this could be a fun adventure to play with my sisters. And they seemed to enjoy it. I've already figured out how to get them to Waterdeep (besides teleporting them there since they want to continue their emporium idea). Basically Madam Eve decides that since she is the rightful heir to the throne of Barovia have a proposal. Since the Vistani can travel freely across the planes they might help with the transports, for a fee or something like that. So they summon a ship to the harbour in Barovia (I think there was some mention of some harbour to the south that was swallowed by the mist) where they load up on flour and materials and then will sail to Waterdeep across the planes. And maybe they need the help from a certain mercenary organisation that happen to have a dwarven cleric specialised in accounting.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - Dinner with a Vampire

Welcome to my Dinner!

The story continues where we ended, on the way to castle Ravenloft for dinner with the count. Arriving in the carriage to the courtyard they where sent in to the dining room by Rahadin, the elf being the second in command pretty much of the castle. It isn't dinner time, but they meet the count, Strahd IX, for some brunch and an invitation for the dinner at 18:00. They eat and are brought up to the guest room where they meet Escher, a dandy. While in the room they find a hidden escape route in the closet. They send Cygnus to the study in order to look if he can find any books that will help them, Katrina gets to sleep since she need the fireball spells and the other climbs the trap door and finds some witches that block their path, and then a room with cats that tell them to go back,

So they decide to go out the front door with Escher away showing Cygnus the study. They climb the tower and goes to the other tower and finds a crystal heart pulsating, forcing them to crawl to avoid getting knocked down. They go to the top and down to the lower areas and find the study... with Cygnus and Escher as well as the count going through the different books, talking about the counts family all the way back from the King and Queen of Barovia and down to the current count. So basically I lured them into thinking that the count is actually the ninth count Strahd. They begin suspecting the accountant since he is the only one that seems to like having control of the treasures in the castle. But it begins to be time for dinner so they head back to the guest room where their clothes have been cleaned and they are taken down to the dinner hall again.

During the dinner they ask why they are here and the count divulges that he have had a burglary and someone have stolen some artefacts from him. And apparently they came from the mayors house through a portal. Oops! And then they begin talking about Gertruda, the girl they have been looking for from the start. And who would know, the girl is here and brought into the dinner room by Rahadin. Apparently she ran away from her mother and Strahd invited her in. And then he casually Strahd mentions that he actually never invited Imeral or Hope to Barovia since someone stole the letter for the intended person. And here the mask falls and his eyes turn red and his teeth sharpens and he began stroking Gertruda's hair as he explains that he intends to turn her into a vampire at midnight during the full moon. As Cygnus tries to take Gertruda away from Strahd both disappear in smoke. Panicked they decide they have to destroy the heart since it must be something evil. They rush up the stair... or crawl to the top and begins attack the heart. As they do it ten flying halberds emerges from the walls and begins attacking them. Godfrey, the revenant has a bit of problem since he with the first attack with his sword usually does decent damage, and then I rolled a 1 and he drops his sword... twice in a row. One halberd also gets a 1 and splinters itself against the heart as it misses its intended target. So in three rounds they pretty much cleaned up the halberds and destroyed the heart, but not until Cygnus rolls a 1 on the Dex saving throw and rolls down the stairs.

So, right when they think they won 4 vampire spawns appear from the roof, which they destroy rather fast. Two is burnt by fire and one is destroyed with the sun sword Hope have been carrying. One rolled a 1 and fell down the stairs as well, so that one they where able to gang up on. And that was the end of that season. By forcing a time limit for a vampire transformation I actually have been able to make them act instead of wait and see. Shall be interesting to see where I place the actual ritual. Rather fun to trick them with the whole "is the count really that Strahd?" and they really doubted it. But next session, when ever that is will probably be the last since fights usually goes off rather fast. So then we can finally end this 4 year long campaign and maybe start another one.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd: Argynvostholt

The Great Stone Dragon!

Continuing the adventure they have all met up in the inn. My sisters explain how they ended up in Castle Ravenloft and how they needed to return to the mayors mansion in order to free the captured man and get more knowledge about what's going on in the house. Katrina and Cygnus in their turn tell them about the festival that descended into chaos when one guard was about to be arrested for laughing at the pitiful experience, but pretty much was saved as Rictavios circus tiger was set loose. Which Cygnus and Katrina had to help so that also could escape. They followed Rictavio to to Van Richten's Tower (which frankly is a stupid name for the tower since he's supposed to be incognito and it should have the name of wizard that built it which also keeps the information away from the players when they look at the map). There they aid Van Richten (who know reveals himself) and Ezmeralda in fighting off a pack of werewolves (which is the werewolves the members of the Silverhawks have been searching for). They beat them and then return back to the inn and the story intersects again.

So they decide that next morning they visit the mayor's house again, that is in turmoil since someone have attacked their son in the attic. Which allows them to do a proper investigation of the scene, but most things have disappeared, probably due to the son having removed the evidence. My sisters hints that it might have been the Wachter family, that the mayor instantly jumps on it. With that they leave, leaving the imprisoned man there since they still need to keep a low profile, so they head to Van Richten's Tower instead. They are able to figure out the trick to open the door and climbs to the top and then heads out again. Nothing else to do they head toward the Argonvostholt, the destroyed home of the Order of the Silver Dragon.

They arrive and begin going from room to room. They avoid the spiders in the damaged part of the mansion, they find an injured elf that was looking for a girl that have disappeared from the Vistani camp, and they are haunted by strange visions and unknown entities stalking the corridors. A curtain closes every time they open it, they see the vision of the lord of Argonvolthost, whispers from the dragon is heard and they even saw a vision of Ismarks decapitated head. They also meet the revenants of the knights that were part of the order of the Silver Dragon. They learn about the destruction of the mansion and the stolen skull of Argonvolt, the silver dragon. One of the Revenants is sir Godfrey Gwilym that decides to join them (as foretold in the card reading), which the other revenants at the table agree to keep it a secret from the commander. As they prepare to leave a black carriage appear with an invitation to dinner at Castle Ravenloft with the lord himself. They all get in and of it goes toward maybe the final confrontation.

I'm thinking about holding a little dinner at the castle next time. They arrive at midday and meet Strahd posing as Strahd IX and let them settle in a bit, maybe trying to explore until 20:00 and dinner is served. So maybe we will end this campaign and continue in another. I assume they would like Dragon Heist since they really started liking the emporium idea, and what better place to continue that thread with a treasure of  500 000 gold?

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - Enter the castle

Feels right at home

Continued with the plan. Before noon Immeral, Hope and Toby sneaks toward the burgomeister's mansion. They look into the kitchen window and Immeral shadow teleports in and open the window so the others can enter. They close the door and begins looking into the second floor. they find a library and a bedroom belonging to the son in the family, and then unlocks first a closet where they find a chained unconcious man, they immediatly back out and close the door. They open the next door and finds rows after rows with dolls looking like Ireena. They back out and close the doors. They lock both doors since now they are a bit freaked out. Not freaked out enough to get an idea. After looking through the mansion they will rescue the man in chain, and take him too Old Bone Grinder so that he can hide there, but in the meantime he can at least work the mill by making flour. When they defeat Strahd and hopefully gets Barovia back into their own dimension, they will use the mill to start exporting flout. They get the idea to join with the wizards of the wine to export wine as well. They have the capital, and not only the deed on the mill, but the property in the town of Barovia. The castle they can use as base and let Ismark become the new lord of the land and the children can help in the production of the flour. They also get the idea that they can find the deed to the ruins of Berez and set up some production there and also offers tourist guides to the Amber Temple. So that created the goal of establishing Hope & Immerals Emporium, a merchant empire from the mist of Barovia, to the valleys of Nerath, to the shores of the Forgotten Realms. 

So that derailed us for some minutes. After getting back into action they looked through the rest of the rooms and found a ladder to the attic where they noticed foot prints in the dust to a room where they could hear cats meowing and a boy casting some spells. They dispell the charm that was on the door with one of the saved spells in their ring and then Immeral shadow steps in and clubs him cold. They tie him up and make sure he can't cast a spell and grabs his spell book. They find a teleportation circle, and normally it's not working and is the reason the servants gone missing since they were killed when the son used them as guinea pigs, but I thought it would be more fun if they where teleported instead and they ended up in Castle Ravenloft.

They ended up in a room with a brazer with white flames and several coloured stones. There was also a rhyme mentioning that they could travel to different places with by throwing a coloured stone into the fire and then jump into it. They wanted to get out as quickly as possible, but I hinted that a lot of the stuff they look for is in the catacombs and that was just the stairway up and a corridor. Now, to make it easy I reasoned that they had seen the castle model in the Amber Temple and I gave them the map of castle Ravenloft from there as well, in the book it was destroyed, so I just flipped to the map of the castle that came with the book to make it easier for them to navigate (plus I had no skill in writing it all up). Sadly it showed the traps so they could avoid the trap door that would have thrown them down to the torture chamber filled with the water zombies. Instead they could block it after fighting just one crawling zombie. 

They enter the catacombs and lucky for them they don't have to look through all the crypts, but they make a line toward the side crypts, first finding Sergei von Stradovich tomb. They open it and find the sunsword and a +2 plate armour. They of course ask nicely if they can take magic artefacts to fight the evil before taking them. They then goes to the tomb of the King and Queen, Strahd's father and mother. They first have to get past a curtain of blue light, which they use their second stored dispel magic on. They find the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind on the Queens tomb and take it and tries to go back to the teleporter. But they get ambushed by four vampire spawn that jumps down from the bat covered ceiling. Being level 7 they handled it pretty well just being 3 people. Of course Hope doesn't have magical weapons and should only have done half damage, but we forgot that. The spawns are killed and they get to the brazzier and throw the violet orb in, teleporting them to Tsolenka Pass. They use the final dispel magic spell to get past the fire and then heads to Vallaki again, arriving around 18:00. They eat, gives the talisman to Cygnus as the only one being able to use it and goes to bed, ending the session.

Now, I believe I just make Katrina and Cygnus play through the Festival of the Blazing Sun event, with the release of Rictavio's tiger so that they rescue it, befriends Rictavio that gets the tiger out and leads them to van Richten's tower where they are attacked by the werewolves they are looking for. They only get XP and there is no magical artefacts. They will get the knowledge of the Werewolf's Den and the full Barovian map, but that ties in to their back-story much more than Hope and Immeral. Hopefully I can lead them to Argynvostholt which leads them back to the castle and the dinner with Strahd as well as another excuse to looking for the skull of the dragon. 

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - Back to Vallaki

Back in town

So finally we get out of the Amber Temple. We load up all the treasures we can carry upon the wagon, uses one of the patches we found on the fiend in the statue to summon a horse to drag it and then control the shield guardian to carry other parts of the treasures. We walk all the way back to the Old Bone Grinder and hides all the treasures that isn't worth carrying around on the upper floor and then leaves the shield guardian to guard the place. We head back to Vallaki in order to get our bearings straight and figure out the next step. They go through the card reading again and get that the three treasures they need to fight Strahd is all in the castle and they have to figure out away to get there as well. They also figures out that one of the few places they haven't been in is Argynvostholt, the mansion of the order of the dragon who fought Strahd long ago before he destroyed it. The cards pointed to an ally that could fight Strahd there. And they still haven't found the third emerald pine cone that was stolen from the wizards of the wine.

They also realise that they haven't explored Vallaki that much so they begin asking around. There is a festival happening in a couple of days, called the festival of the blazing sun, that the Wachter family hates the burgomeisters and that green light appears in the attic of the burgomeisters house and that two servants have gone missing. They check on the Wachter family first and gets to meet the lady of the house. I dropped the plot here, so instead of keeping the mystery of Strahd IX I just gave away all the plot points about him being a vampire and the cause being murdering his brother to get his fiancé. Not, other players might say that it gave the whole mystery away, and they be right, but my sisters believe they were supposed to learn this back in the beginning of the adventure, meaning the meandering is a fault upon themselves, so deflecting blame back to the players are always better.

They also get information on the book club and that they are free to join if they could get rid of the burgomeister security guard. And that the burgomeisters son drove Lady Wachter's  daughter insane. Hope and Immeral decides to leave and come back at night to try to sneak in under cover of darkness. They come back at night, sneak into the basement and triggers a trap that awakens several skeletons. Immeral has the best roll of this game and single handedly fells all but one of the skeletons using the ki points to deal away damage. Hope doesn't have that much luck and blames it on a bear trap that bit her leg during the travels from the Amber Temple. They find a hidden passage that leads to a book club meeting that they decide that they better leave alone since they are only two and Immeral used up most of the ki points. So they rest up for the night and visits the burgomeister the next day. There they learn that two servants gone missing and the burgomeister hires them to find the missing people. None of the other servant dare to speak with them as long as Izak the security guard is around them so they are able to get the chef and he tells them that the only strange thing being that he was given orders by the burgomeister's son to feed the cat so he bring a tray of food every day. Also, the burgomeister invites them to join the parade tomorrow so they enact  plan. While the town is busy with the parade Hope, Immeral and Toby sneaks into the burgomeister mansion. Cygnus and Katrina joins the burgomeister on the parade... damn sisters splitting the party. 

A DnD Tale: Curse of Stradh - The Amber Temple 3

 

Best enemy of the game according to the dungeon master

Still in the Amber Temple. Not much left so they continue on from the treasure room and pass a crevice to find yet another room with three sarcophagus and six crates. Opening up them they find 6 dead bodies and as they prepares to leave they awaken and attack them The vampire spawns gives them some challange for the first time since Death house and the attacking broom stick. And they are scary since they are able to grapple a couple of them (mostly due to us not knowing the rules) that allows them to use a bite attack that both drains their HP, necrotic damage that lowers their max HP and also regain the vampire spawns HP. The monk is unconscious after getting bit and being surrounded by three of them. Eventually the battle turns around as they dispatch the spawns one by one. Took us 2 hours real time.

After resting up and getting more level 3 spell slots for dispel magic they decide that there is only 3 magic doors locked on the ground floor so better clean them out. And the first two is nothing special. One just an empty tomb that been plundered years ago and the other three more sarcophagus. The third room is where the fun is. The monk goes in and is attacked by an invisible Death Slaad that have advantage and get a critical dealing 35 points of damage and with the next attack putting the monk unconscious again. The third attack lands on the sorceress that opened the door. The others hammer away at it, but having 170 HP total it at least lives to the next round where he blasts them with a fireball, hitting another 35 points of damage throwing the sorceress to the ground and the Paladin standing wih 5 HP and the barbarian being bloodied. Only the tiefling thief have  been able to dodge and use all her tricks to lessen the impact. Scrambling to kill it before they are TPK they hit it, but the slaad survives yet another round, leaving me with a hard choice. Either use another fireball, taking the paladin away and maybe the barbarian out, but if the barbarian stand, he's dead. Or use a Plane Shift spell and get him out of the game for good... high risk and high reward so of course use Plane Shift. It fails, so the next turn for the barbarian ends the Slaad's life. 

Getting close to death twice in the same game. I think that upped the risk for them, they have had a nice ride so far with me bumbling the boss encounters, but now they hit back hard. They healed up with all the hit dice they had and continued. Went up to the library through the stairs behind the crevice, found a way back to the ground floor and started combing the temple for anything they missed, especially the control mechanism for the shield guardian. They discovered a secret door leading down to another sarcophagus room, but being filled with ghasts. The sorceress used a fire ball, dealing 50 points of damage to all 7 of them, killing them instantly. They hit the level up mark and game slowed down to get adjusted to level 7. Finally, a level 4th spell for the sorceress, might just use it for Banishment, looks like a cool spell.

Continuing searching for the control medallion they finally get that the mage apprentice might have it, so while the monk distracts him by talking the rouge pickpockets him and get away with the medallion. Unfortunatly for them the apprentice mage's familiar Quisit appears and attacks the rouge. The mage instantly throws a cone of cold on the rest of the party, but the sorceress get to use the Banishment spell, sending him away. Sadly the wild surge instills fear in her and makes her lose concentration so he comes back right away. Still... he gets trounced pretty fast and they get the medallion. Time to pack up all treasure and get back to civilisation... and then the question arises, what were we doing here anyway? Oops!

A DnD Tale: Curse of Stradh - The Amber Temple 2

I get Aghanim vibes from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

So we finally continued the trek through Curse of Stradh and the Amber Temple. Awakening Immeral got an idea since the old man standing guard in the statue is a problem as he would throw fireballs at them if they walked in front of the shadows, and since he is a bit paranoid and a shadow monk decides that offence is the best defence. My sister rolls a 1, misses and tumbles out of the statue, but is saved by rolling a 20 and landing pretty awesome at the floor while the arcanaloth now shows its true face after teleporting to the ground. Cygnus the eladrin paladin jumps out of the statue and teleports to the ground with his fey step and uses the divine smite to really put the flame into the fiend. The arcanaloth answers by throwing a fireball at the rest of the party still in the statue's head, everyone saves, but the damage is still felt across the board. The others pretty much just comes down with a rope since Immeral and Cygnus are able to kill the fiend after the next round. They take another long rest since the others were burned pretty badly.

The rest is looking around the ground floor of the temple. They find three witches trying to get into a locked room so they avoid that corridor and instead goes into the other. They find one open door where four nothics resides, abberitions that used to be humans but turned into one-eyed monsters crave secrets, pretty harmless. They also find two sarcophagus and as Immeral touches one they are beginning to understand the function of the temple. The sarcophagus contains imprisoned dark gods that can bestow dark gifts to those asking for it and is probably why the dusk elves mentioned it back in Vallakia. They find another room haunted by a poltergeist and then an empty room. Realising they must confront the witches they try to talk with them, but a fight ensues where they are all killed together with their brooms. Two other empty rooms, one with treasures and another with an inactive shield guardian. Seeing as all other rooms are locked by arcane lock they get up the stairs and try to get across the collapsed floor. They get across, but most of them get enthralled by a statue, but as Cygnus and Toby avoid the effect they topple the statue and release the others from the sympathy spell. They find a secret door and as they open it hundreds of skulls roll out. After clearing it they find a chest on the ceiling. After trying to force it open with magic hands since it's locked with arcane lock they realise Katrina has dispel magic and unlocks it and as they open it with the magic hand, the floor disappears and they tumble back into the ground floor and all that for nothing since the chest was empty. And they get back to get into the other door where they find a lich who lost his memory. They can't do much and just proceed to explore the room, the only time the lich reacts is when they try to pick up the spellbook that lies there. Leaving it they find two secret rooms, one containing the phylactery of the lich, but they decide to leave it there. 

Going back they begin to open the doors with dispel magic. They find more sarcophagus in the room on the east side and as they enter the room behind the statue they find several piles of treasures and an amber golem standing guard over them. Battle time, and the golem is able to slow two of them and hit Cygnus with a heavy slam attack, but it's still easy winning for a group of 5 people (so drop the supporting characters to just 1 in the following campaign is recommended for my part). And to the victors the spoils go. The game pretty much ends here with everyone going through the first real treasure trove they encountered. Tens of thousands of copper and silver coins, over 6 000 electrum coins, jewelry, gems and artefacts in droves. Also several worthless items like rusted weapons and armours, a pile of gold painted wooden coins and a ton of iron ingots (really kicking my leg that I read what the coins was and not told them that there were golden coins). The question began, how much can we carry back to civilisation? There was a chariot and they could summon a riding horse from a patch from a magical cloak they got from the arcanaloth and maybe animate a life-sized wooden pony. As of writing maybe I should give them the idea that they might be able to awaken the shield guardian to do the heavy lifting. 

Writing this in October and maybe that we can sneak in another session around Halloween would be fun, especially since we are about to clean up the temple. 

A DnD Tale: Curse of Stradh - The Amber Temple

It looks a bit cold.

April Fool's Everybody! But here on Niklas2.0 we value truth more than anything so we gonna go on with the long awaited continuation of the Curse of Strahd story line my sister is embroiled in. Finally prepared to travel across the mountains they set out once more from Valakia. Reaching the Tsalenka Pass without trouble they use the ring they acquired from Madam Eva and uses its one charge to suppress the green flames blocking their path. Reading the info I awoke the gargoyle statues above the gate to attack them. In truth I actually believe that they would only awake if you bypass the gate by climbing above or around it. They needed the EXP anyway so attack them I did. And the first strike actually throws 3 out of 5 people on the ground and would probably ended the game here and now, but one of the them threw a 20 on their saving throw so I could undo that attack. So the gargoyles are hacked to pieces. A paladin is really useful in this world so good on me for picking them.

They then turn their attention to the tower, which Toby opens up by breaking up the door. Inside they walk around finding nothing of important other than a residual power like from a teleportation circle that seems inactive. Although they discuss the fact that it might be setting up way to transport enemies toward them, they still sleep through the night in that room before continuing. As they leave and goes across the bridge the gate was guarding they see a man on a horse, the same horse they saw running across the sky toward them while on Yester Hill. Walking toward them and trying to talk the wind starts blowing and the figure turns to ash and flies away. Rattled they still continue over the bridge and following the mountain road. And they are suddenly attacked by a giant goat that ram Katrina into the ravine, Imiral and Hope jumps away causing both Toby and Cygnus to follow Katrina into the abyss, only surviving by hanging by tooth and nail by the rock. Imiral and Hope kills the goat and throws a rope toward Katrina and then Toby before turning their attention toward the armour clad Cygnus, who now falls even further down the mountain side. They still are able to get him up, but they needed everyone to drag him up. Before leaving Toby skins the corpse of the goat to make some warmer protection against the cold. 

Now with that ordeal behind them they continue and finally reaches the Amber Temple. Being in a bit of creative mode I actually drew the map on some overhead paper and used that so that they could explore the temple in real time. So they entered, slowly looking through every inch of the temple... that they could find. For example in the first hall they discovered holes for guards and arrows that one of them could enter via the shadows. Not wanting to separate the group they didn't leave the rooms alone. They sneaked up on some barbarians using the temple as a shelter, but realising that they probably didn't want to fight an unknown number of barbarians, wolfs and other creatures, they went the other way... running past the fireballs fired from the statue in the middle of the temple. Walking along the western upper floor they find a man hiding in some sort of auditorium, healing his burn wounds  from an attack caused by some flame skulls. They promised to find his master that was killed in the attack and bring back his spell-book. After finishing every room in the upper floor they where forced to return to the barbarians, but since they didn't want to fight more than necessary. Trying to talk to them, they where quickly surrounded and the atmosphere was tense... until Toby showed up in the skin of the goat they fought in the pass. Silence, and the barbarians let them pass. They enter a corridor where the corpse of the dead master lays, surrounded by flame skulls. They dispatch them and picks up the spell-book. Katrina also find his staff which she takes... and unknown to the rest of the party is cursed with lust for power. Which will be fun to play out later in the temple, hehe.

Mostly fighting flame skulls, finding a room with a banquet that turns out to be an illusion caused by a pitcher that taken unleashed an attack from ghosts. The only problem was walking out on a balcony above the great hall of the temple... and they all fell down behind the fire shooting statue. They found a hidden entrance at its back that lead to the statues head, where Hope found an old man standing looking out as he was guarding the temple. Talking to him made her believe that it's just a senile old man that was put on guard and have been here since then. Had they only done a detect good/evil they might have found out that it is actually a fiend called an arcanaloth in disguise. Leaving they fought of some more ghosts, but as they been going for a long time, almost all magic and abilities spent they needed to take some time to rest. Not able to travel back to the top floor since the "old man" would probably blast them with fire they decided to instead crawl up in the statues head and sleep behind him. I can't stop thinking that the arcanaloth standing there and wondering how he ended up with five people sleeping behind him. They ended that session so let's see what happens next time.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Stradh - The Witching Hour

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.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Stradh - Wintersplinters Coming To Town!

And he's bringing his naughty list

So the team take an hour to heal up and investigate the tree that bleeds blood. Hope reminisce about a vampire named Gulthias that was staked and from the stake sprouted a tree. The tree also reminds them of the staff the druids had in the winery. Imiral picks out the axe in the tree and even more blood flows out of the tree. Toby picks it up as the only one used to axes overall. Specially good as it is a magical axe. Now, I'm used to magical axe giving +1 so I might have put to much power since it's only magical and gives extra damage to trees so I might have to rectify it. So they basically feel the tree need to be cut down so Toby stays ready and starts to put the axe in position when they suddenly hear thunder strikes from the east, from Castle Ravenloft. It starts out as a black speck from where thunder strikes, but as it gets closer they notice a black horse with red mane which rides across the sky with a rider with pale skin, black hair and red armour. They quickly hide behind the tree.

The rider rides toward the stone circle and across the storm they here the sounds of a chant and the rider throws bolts of lightning within the circle and twelve figures raises from the ground, 6 berserkers and 6 druids. The druids stand in a circle in front of the statue and starts chanting while the  berserkers circle the druids watching the entrances to the circle. The group springs to action and charge at them. And the first stage of the battle goes ok. Katrina throws a fireball at 3 of the berserkers at first that make her grow a beard. Imiral and Hope uses their long range weapon while Toby and Cygnus forms a wall for the storming berserkers. The first berserker that reaches Cygnus heaves the axe and critical him, but with the help of Imiral and Hope the berserker is slain. Katrina uses Crown of Madness on another Berserker and gains command of him and set him upon his former friends. At the same time she gets even more health back... that was already full. Thanks.

Cygnus on the other hand has to heal himself with lay on hands since that one strike from the berserker bloodied him. During the battle the druids chant higher and higher. As the group push forward Katrina throws another fireball and with it the wild magic surges makes lightning flow from her body hitting one berserker and two druids... killing them all. They round up the rest of the berserkers and druids except one... that obviously is able to complete the ritual as the ground shakes and the statue beams of green light emitting from the chest. Another spell from Katrina turns her invisible and she runs toward the statue to pick up the gem. She climbs it and as the druid laughs like a maniac the roots around the statue begins go upward forming Wintersplinter (Katrina was able to stay on the outside). Imiral and Hope slays the druid while the other focus on the huge tree. Toby and Cygnus slashes with their weapons while Katrina throws of scorching rays on the tree. Which causes her wild magic surge to cast certain spells as an bonus action. Nice! Doesn't help that much when Wintersplinter uses two branches to hit her and Cygnus while the roots grab Toby and Hope. Cygnus tries to free Toby, but misses... twice. Hope on the other hand breaks free from her own and Imiral hits the tree while Katrina is able to throw of 5 scorching rays... that is 10d6 of damage (of course the draw back is that she now ages 6 years so she is 41 years old at the moment). Then Toby on his strength alone breaks free and with his last action swings his axe killing the tree and revealing the gem inside it as the green light shines out from it. Imiral picks it up and the session ends.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Stradh - Running Up That Hill

Let's see if we can make a deal with god!

So they left for Yester Hill, the whereabouts of the druids the Martikovs believe have stolen one of the emeralds that powered their vineyard. They walk for an hour with only finding a blood stained tea-cup that belonged to a child tea set. As they walk up the hill they see lightning strike the sides of a rock mound on the top. In it is a statue that resembles the statue they found beneath the haunted house. Hope the tiefling rouge tries to pursued the high elf monk Imiral to touch it, been he knows to avoid touching things that could be filled with evil. He also is to fast for Toby picking him up and throwing him at the statue.

Behind the ring the trail leads to a small glade of trees with a dead tree in the middle. They see 6 needle blights walking around the tree so they sneak up and attacks them. Killing 5 of them, but Katrina attacks one of them with a burning hand spells that grazes the tree catching it on fire. From the tree three vine blights emerges and the trees around them unleashes 12 twig blights. The battle rages for a minute or two. No one fainted or something like that and the most interesting parts are as usual the sorceress wild magic. And here it delivers first a swarm of butterflies that fly around Katrina with flowers growing around her. Of course it's Barovia so the butterflies are the ones from Silence of the Lambs with the skulls and whatnot while the flowers where dead and crumbling, thorny and whatever. And then the wild magic summoned 6 Flumphs. Some kind of jellyfish creatures from the Underdark.

Welcome to Barovia!

They pretty much run away from the players until 1 minute have been going around so they were sent back to the Underdark. Pretty much everything that happened this session.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - Kill the Witch

Todays victim

Alright, so the vinegary was back in the possession of the Martikovs, but all isn't well. 3 magical green gems have been taken from the area that enabled the grapes to grow and the Martikovs need the teams help to find them. They agree, but first they have to take Ireena and Ismark back to Kerzk with a wagon load of wine to get into the town. During the travels they are ambushed several times by wolfs and dire wolfs until they almost reach Kerzk when they tired and worn meets three vistani travellers having a good time. Also a skeletal rider has two times crossed their path. They finally enters Kerzk as the sun begins to set. They stay at the burgomasters house, but once again the monk and rouge decide to enter the night. They search the house and finds a fifth room that seemed to have been occupied by a teenage boy, but there is no one living there anymore. They sneak out and finds a family graveyard at the back where they can find desecrated graves, except one that have been made recently. Reading the gravestone they deduce that the burgomaster have lost four children, the latest just a few days ago.

Suddenly they hear the door from the cottage open and close. They follow the sound and see a cloaked figure move to the north as in a trance and they follow behind. At the pond near a gazebo the figure stops and a shape takes form in the water, a man who shines up as he see the figure and speaks to it and they hear the figure answer, but with two voices, hearing the names Tatyana and Sergei. The water forms a hand that stretches out toward the figure they realises are Ireena so they run after her to stop her from being dragged down, but the monk stumbles and accidentally pushes her into the pool. As she is dragged into the water the cloud gathers and they see the red eyes in the clouds and a angry voice crying out in the night and a blue bolt of lightning strikes the pond, pushing them back and destroying the gazebo. Shocked and despaired they sneak back to the cottage as the whole village have awakened and goes out to the pond. Sneaking back they entered their room from the window and then goes with everyone else to the pond where they can witness Ismark entering the pool and finding his sisters cloak. This is both the fun part of being a DM and the boring one. Playing I might have gotten the same idea as they that Ireena have been taken by Strahd or something, but as a DM I know she is perfectly safe, but how am I gonna tell them that in game? So I put them toward Madam Eve again. Also they have a new mystery on who Sergei and Tatyana is. So the night ends at midnight as the abbey's bell toll.

In the morning they send Ismark home with the two Martikovs that followed with the wagon while they took of to the destroyed village of Berez where the Martikovs believe one of the so called seeds are. They feel unnerved at once entering the ruins. 7 scarecrows stands in the ruins, a pen of goats with human skulls and across the river they see a light near some stone menhirs. They search the ruins and finds a strange tree in the middle with a floating skull near the front that they avoid, finds the burgomasters mansion and a statue of a girl named Marina that looks exactly like Ireena. They enter the burgomasters mansion and encounter the spirit of the dead burgomaster that tells the story of the village. Marina that was about to be taken by Strahd and the burgomaster and the priest killed her in order to save her soul and that Strahd destroyed the village shouting out that no one would take Tatyana from him, reminding them of the name image in the pond called Ireena. And that another threat have arrived in Berez, the hag Baba Lysaga that a few days ago came back with a green glowing gem and took it into her hut. They realise they need to take out Lysaga, but before forming a plan they head over the river to the menhirs and find a farmer girl who was sent out by the Martikovs to keep track on Lysaga, named Muriel. She tells them about Baba Lysaga as well, but she won't help them since she fears the hag more than anything else. So they start to think.

The plan they concoct are that they take 70 feet of rope, cut it into 10 feet pieces and pour oil on them and tie them around the scarecrows they learned from Muriel is a living construct and a early warning system for Baba Lysaga. Then they let Katrina attack one of them and draw the others toward her and escape across the river and hide near the menhirs (which I would let strengthen her magical powers somehow) and also force Baba Lysaga from her hut so the others could enter and search it and prepare an ambush on the hag. Katrina is able to destroy one of the scarecrows with two fire bolts and hide near the menhirs as Baba Lysaga take her time coming out and flying over as the other scarecrows gather around their burning brother. The others enter the hut unseen with the monks hiding ability and as they enter they see the green glow from under a crib with a child. Hope goes forward to push it away, but her hands goes through it revealing the green glow below the floor. Toby goes forth, swings his axe and breaks through, revealing the seed. Imiral picks it up and they feel the whole hut losing power. Imiral hides beside the opening aided by his pass ability, Hope hides behind the bed, Toby in a cupboard and Cygnus in a wardrobe. Now, I must have interpreted the rules wrong since Baba Lysaga enters and looks at the broken floor and they decided to quickly execute an ambush in succession. First Imiral attacks and draw her attention by hitting her with his staff and then let her fixate on the glowing gem. From the bed Hope stabs the hag in the back and that is followed up by Toby and Cygnus striking her with all they got. In one first strike round they bring the hag down to half of a 120 HP. They rolled all pretty good initiative so they keep wailing on her and when she finally gets an attack I wondered if I was gonna use word of command stun or the crown of madness. Had the stun been for all I would probably used that, but since it was single I used the crown on the monk, but Imiral made the save and then it was pretty much over as the party slayed the hag. Within 2 rounds. I must have done something wrong. When they meet old Woodsplinter there won't be anything holding back. And they were only 4 persons.

After releasing two swarms of ravens from cages outside the hut they reunite at the menhirs and Muriel thanks them before leaving, but at the same time wonders if they are out of their mind. As they leave the village they see a raven flying above them and then they witness a vision in the mist of a battle a long time ago and a dragon flying above them toward a mansion alone in the valley. They return to Vallaki and the Blue Water Inn where the wagon from the vineyard have parked and left its cargo. Ismark is mourning in the room he had last and the party decide to lay low, but then they notice the elven like character they were looking for last time, Rictavio. The monk and rouge decide to follow him around and they see him feeding his horse Drusilla and then walking toward his wagon in storage. Unbeknownst to them he notice pretty much that they follow him, with a passive perception of 17. So he sneaks in to the shop and disappears through a backdoor with the loyal storeowners who gets richly paid for his wagon. Imiral and Hope enters and begins to haggle for a component pouch for the monk (which I need to check up if a monk really need) and some rope and oil.

They return to the inn and tells the rest of the party that tells them that maybe they should look into the room itself. They sneak up and lock pick the door and enters unnoticed. Looking through Rictavios stuff they only find a journal describing his journey and certain oddities he has found. Realising nothing is there they leave again, but notices a wind draft coming from the wall and finds a secret door that leads to the kitchen where the staff is in full swing preparing the dinner. They climb back and sneak out of the secret passageway, closes it and also locking the door to Rictavios room again before heading back. They stay and observe the different patrons of the inn and then walks to bed. During the morning routine they begin question Urwin Martikoff over the first lost seed that disappeared over 10 years ago. And all he can say that the event pretty much forced him out of the vineyard to Vallaki with his beloved and the only odd thing he can recall was that he think he heard a cat. Then they leave. And gets attacked by 14 wolves that knocks out Cygnus and Katrina within two turns and both Toby and Hope are bloodied.  Only Imiral was undamaged. And Cygnus had a AC of 19. Now, part of that was my fault since I recalled 4E of Prone be forced to use an action to stand, but here it halves your speed. So we wasted actions on standing instead of hitting. My bad. Meanwhile they continue to find bundles of cloth with either wolf fur and raven feathers travelling and twice have founded some trinkets lying around like a mirror with an medusa on the back and a flag from a ship lost at sea with the sign of Strahd on it. Earlier they even had found a ravens claw, but I think they threw it away. These things the monk saved on the other hand. Closing up on the vineyard they are cornered by 3 vallakian scouts on a search quest for some missing townsfolk. As they are busy with other duties they decline to help immediately, but they will keep their eyes open. Reaching their goal they hand over the seed to Davian Martikov and follows him unto the field where he digs a whole and plant it. As he covers it up they can see a pulsating green light emitting from the stone and flowing through the earth and by some magic the vines starts to heal and actually produce grapes. The vineyard is back in business for the moment... until they meet Woodsplinter that is, hehehe!

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - The Wine Wizards

The place seems to have seen better days

They leave in the morning toward Kerzk stumbling upon wolves and druids they kill until they reach the walls of Kerzk. The villager are not friendly so they are pushed away to the Wizards of the Wine since the town is running low on wine and if they can acquire more they will let them in. And they continue. The sisters begin grumbling about Ismark hogging the experience and delaying the level ups and that they can't drop the free loaders of. Of course their numbers have saved them more than one time. As they approach the vineyard they notice that there is a hidden bundle of clothes under a bush in the woods. The only thing they notice is that it have fur on it. They leave it since they guess it is a werewolf. As they walk I remind them that they still touched it and would have made it possible for a wolf to sniff them out. They don't have much time to think about that since as thy approach the road to the vineyard a man beckons them to the woods on the side. Carefully with weapons on the ready. The vineyard have been overrun by druids and blights and stopped the production of the wine that the people of the valley can drown their sorrows in. So it's druid hunting time.

They get to look at a map of the house and decided to take a stealthy way into the house and go from floor to floor. So they head through the vegetation and stands before the loading area when suddenly they hear something move between the vines. 30 humanoid figures made out of vines walking toward them like zombies. They rush in and finds a broken door which they enter, Katrina mends it and they close and block it as they walk down some stairs to the basement. While there they notice a druid together with 5 of those blights walking behind a wine rack. After a short plan Katrina runs forward and blast all of them with the spell burning hands creating a cone of fire hitting the four blight right in front of her full force and the last blight and druid are able to block some of the imapct. Meanwhile Toby rush forward and push the rack on them and killing the most damaged blights while Cygnus slays the last blight with his sword. Imiral and Hope takes bottles of wine from the rack to save them. Imiral runs up the fallen rack and hits the druid with the quarterstaff and Toby lungs forward swinging his axe to slay it. Going through the basement they find a secret door they open and send in Katrina through. Sadly for them it's a room with brown mould that instantly freezes her and she falls unconscious. Toby drags her out and Cygnus heals her with his lay on hands.

Continuing after that interruption they return to the first floor and find the processing area for the wine as 4 big cask stands in the room. Several blights walk below the casks and a single druid stands at the balcony above pouring some potions into one of the vats. Imiral sneaks from below and uses his mage hand to knock her into the vat. As the blights scampers up to try to save her the team let Katrina throw fire bolts to burn blights and Imiral and Hope push the dead blights across the balcony and burning the rest of them. As well as dragging those who tried to rescue the druid into the vat with another mage hand. They continue the search through the rooms and they find another druid atop the winch above the docking area they entered first. They ensnare it in place and Cygnus brings the winch to the side where they can kill it, but not without it using it staff to suck 4 hp from Toby and regain them for himself. After slaying him they check the staff and realises it's part from the GArthias tree, enabling the druids to control the blights so the monk pick it up and breaks it upon his knee, destroying all the blights in a radius of 300 feet. They check the final floor and finds a lone druid rummaging through some clothes and attack her with vengeance. It goes quick as usual lately, but this one had skin of bark making it a bit harder to hit. I really need to get time to check out how to plan battles better, they are either to hard or to easy.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - The Walk of the Land

Look, dire wolves!

After leaving the Vistani encampment they cross a bridge over a river when they are suddenly attacked by 3 dire wolves, two on the front and one in the back. After killing two the third escapes, one of them even rolled a nat 1 and fell upon the paladins sword. After resting up they continue to another gate in the middle of nowhere when suddenly 9 wolfs attacks, trapping them at the gate. And here one of my sisters get's more and more irritated. The wolves in the front charges at my paladin and getting a critical and knocking me out, and the rest goes on the monk. She gets pissed as she uses up all her Ki-points to dodge since she fears attacks more than the believe to make damage. And she rolls horrible all the time. Everyone is bloodied and the wolves are closing in. I pull out my secret weapon. Two more characters that waited at the top of the wall. A half-orc barbarian named Toby that spears one of the wolves with his javelin and then the human sorceress Katrina Bargov that blasts two of the wolves with magic missiles. Now one of the wolfs attacking the monk rolls a 1 so the monk is able to grab it and throw at another wolf killing both. Also, after studying the rules and choices of the monk I can tell her that the best strategy is probably to wield the staff one-handed and then get the bonus action attack. It takes some time for me to explain the benefit of more attacks that total up a higher damage value than just one possible stronger attack. A range of 6-14 is better than 3-10. Sadly for her that was the last battle for today

They arrive at Vallaki where they get into the inn and begans searching the town. They notice that there have been a festival and the people seems less inclined to talk to them. They also notice someone with a monster arm putting up posters for another festival at the end of the week. Most people eye them suspiciously since they are high-elfs, tie flings and a tall half-orc. They learn that there is another elven kind in town, some circus leader named Rictavio who also stays in the inn. They learn about the burgomaster and his festivals as well as the Wachter family and their dislike of the burgomaster. They install themselves in the inn and the thief and monk decide to go around town. They haggle at the only shop for information on the wagon parked outside with some kind of animal in it, but the owners are tightlipped. They walk around and enters the toy shop with the toymaker Blinsky. Its no fun, is no Blinsky! My sisters get the impression he would have designed the halloweentowns christmas toys in the Nightmare before Christmas. There eyes where especially drawn to a doll in the links of Ireena. After asking Blinsky about the doll they get that someone that Blinsky fears have ordered the same type of doll every month for a long time, but out of fear he won't say who, and as the push him for an answer they are pushed out of the shop.

They head back to the inn and mention this for the silverhawks that agree to look into it during a night break in. They sleep a bit to refill their spells and such and Imiral and Cygnus heads out as a scout party since they only need 6 hours sleep. They watch the shop and are joined two hours later by the others. Hope goes forward and lock picks the door to enter. And Hope falls as she walks inside, but Blinsky seems to sleep. Katrina goes up the stairs to prepare a sleep spell in case of him awakening while Toby and Cygnus guards the street. Imiral and Hope starts rummaging through the back and finds a accountant book, but it seems to have no mention of the buyer of that very doll. Although they can confirm increased spending each month. Imiral picks up the doll looking at it and when looking away, Blinsky's tame monkey grabs the doll and climbs the ceiling. Imiral silence it and grabs it with his mage hand. Suddenly Cygnus and Toby enters the shop and close the door whispering about town guards appearing. Imiral puts the doll back and they all enters the second floor and hides in a room. Spying out the door they hear the guards knocking loudly on the door and awakening Blinsky. He goes down and it's the burgomasters servant with the devil hand. As he takes the doll and Blinsky heads back to bed the team lets out the monkey in the corridor and jumps put the window. The monk and rouge makes the fall with grace while the Silverhawks lands in a pile. They head back and prepares for an early start in the morning.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - Bodyguards

Conquering Barovia, one house at the time

So, after the house imploded poltergeist-style the party returns to the inn. Bloodied, battered and bruised they enter the inn. Now, eladrins isn't one of the standard races, but an example of a modified race in the Dungeon Master's Guide that was the high-elven race in 4E. My sister who plays the high-elf Imiral played an eladrin elf in the other campaign and just to spite her a bit without her knowing it I gave the eladrins an aura in Barovia like the big elves in Lord of the Rings when Frodo sees Glorfindel through the shadows. And both sisters believe that it is due to the paladin powers. They didn't even question the fey step or that I even called it that. Sibling rivalry can be fun. This all leads to my description of the party and "... Cygnus with his golden aura appears as shining as ever". Ismark visits them and tells them that the preparations for the burial of the burgomaster is complete and they will need taking the coffin to the church in the morning. For the first time they have the day of so they start to walk around town. First they are drawn to a house by the sounds of crying and as they enter and walk to the top floor they find Mad Mary, a woman crying over a miss-formed doll belong to her daughter Gertruda that have been gone for a week. Mary kept her daughter locked inside to protect her, but Gertruda apparently longed to be free as she became a teenager. Mary in desperation gives them the doll and ask them to fid her daughter. They discover the burgomaster's mansion, but find it ominous with the wolf paw prints and human footprints around the fortified mansion and the stories they heard from the tavern about the undead that have been assailing the burgomaster and pretty much caused his premature death. They don't know it is the burgomaster's mansion so they avoid it. They also try to haggle at the local shop, especially as the rouge now promoted to an arcane trickster and need a component pouch. They trade it for a spell book they found in the basement and can't really use. They head back to the inn and wakes up the next morning, eating breakfast and getting picked up by Cygnus and Ismark who take them to Ireena and the coffin. They start to bring it out, but the monk Imiral rolls a 1, of course, stumbles and Ireena have to rush forward and pick up the coffin before it falls to the ground. They bring it to the church and meet the priest Donavich. As they enter the chapel they hear the screams from below, a man calling out for his father how hungry he is. Donovich tells them that it is Doru, his son that have been turned to a vampire by the devil when a wizard appears and rallyed the barovians to fight against their oppressor. And they failed, and his son returned like that. They go on with the funeral as they walk outside to the cemetery where everyone has to help dig the grave and lower the coffin. Donovich says the prayer to the morning lord at what is supposed to be high noon and they fill it in. Returning Donovich tells them that if they are gonna take Ireena away he recommend the Abby of Saint Markovia in the village of Kerzk or the town of Vallacia, with it's fortified walls to protect from the devil. Cygnus takes the monk and rouge aside and tells them that the monster under the church must be destroyed, it's a danger to the people. They agree and ask the priest if he can bless their cursed property. Ireena and Ismark agrees to escort the priest and as he leaves they begin to search for a way down and finds a trapdoor in the first room they enter. They try to pull it open, but don't have strength enough to open it. The paladin stares at them, pushes them away and barely is able to open the trapdoor. As they enter the basement floor they see a lone man hiding in the shadows. He tries to avoid them, but as they get closer his eyes turns red and he grows fangs and attack them.

Father and son

Imiral blocks the way out while Cygnus and Hope begins bashing at him.  Cygnus smiting him with divine smite to stop his regenerative powers while Hope sneak attacks him. Doru begins running up the wall and to the roof to reach the trap door. Imiral uses his mage hand and pulls Doru down on the ground. Doru gets up and attacks Imiral and after some rounds are able to grapple him, but before he is able to bite the monk Hope are able to cast a spell that forces Imiral to laugh hysterical and become incapacitated enabling Imiral to pick up his stake and hammer and ram it through Doru's heart, slaying the vampire spawn. Cygnus picks up the body and brings it to the alter in the chapel. Donavich return, sees his son and breaks down crying. The party leaves. They get ready for their final night in the village of Barovia and in the morning all 5 heads out. After travelling for some time they are assaulted by 2 dire wolves. Easy job. As the road splits they discuss a while looking at the map and finally decide to take the shortest road to Vallakia. They arrive at Tzer Pool where some Vistani have made camp. Trying to hurry past they are called to a meeting with madam Eve, the leader of these Vistani.

Well, she looks trustworthy

They are given a fortune telling when they enter as she pulls four cards describing 3 items that can help them, a person that can aid them and the very place where they will confront Strahd. The players didn't get this at all. Which could be my fault, but still, it feels like something I have to remind them to push them in the right direction. And I'm probably to nice to them since they don't write anything down at all so they rely on me telling them where to go. Well, that was the end of the first day, 14 hours of play, and I only had prepared the Death house section of the game, the rest randomised by using the book. And they wanted to play more the day after. Good god! As a bonus this is the reading they got:

1. This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand enemy

Master of Glyphs - Priest

You will find what you seek in the castle, amid ruins of a place of supplication

2. This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope.

4 of Glyphs - Sheperd

Find the mother - she who gave birth to evil

3. This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight.

2 of Swords - Paladin

I see a sleeping prince, a servant of light and the brother of darkness. The treasure lies with him.

4. This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness.

Ghost

I see a fallen paladin of a fallen order of knights. He lingers like a ghost in a dead dragon’s lair.

5. Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. This card will lead you to him!

Seer

He awaits you in a place of wisdom, warmth, and despair. Great secrets are there.

Before the adventure you are instructed to do a placeholder reading in case of the players avoiding any reading or making it impossible to have one (maybe killing the seer for example) and these cards I drew:

1. Enchanter
2. Avenger
3. Druid
4. Donjon
5. Darklord

I actually liked this one better since it didn't have most of the things being in the castle and Strahd being at the center of power is a bit more cinematic.

A DnD Tale: The Curse of Strahd - Barovias finest

Allow Me Too Introduce Myself, I'm a Man of Wealth and Taste!

Long time coming, but I finally made the switch from 4E to 5E. Mostly by listening to Acquisition Inc and Dice, Camera and Action and since I finally got a steady income I allowed myself to get all the starters book and currently getting every book and adventure for 5E... as well as getting stuff from 4E I need to continue the large campaign that haven't been going on for 2 years. So now I have official tokens and maps for that. And they work fine for 5E as well since my sisters aren't quite ready for "theatre of the mind" that seems to be the standard. Could also be due to me being not that clear, but also everyone around the table having problem with saying what they mean or hearing. Which became obvious as I played Curse of Strahd with two of my sisters.

Sadly we only have one to share on three people

The story began when the monk Imiral, a high elf from a mountain monastery outside of Mithral on the Nerathian continent finds him selves alone on a forest road as the dark catches him as a thick fog begins to suround him. He sees a light just beside the main road by a small trail. Walking up he finds a tiefling sitting by a fire, playing with some cards. Startled the female tiefling flings a knife toward him that just misses. The tiefling unfriendly accepts to let the monk stays after he gives up his only silver coin. The tiefling is a rouge that specialises in burglary and have lightened the pockets of some important looking person and found a letter from some burgomaster of the village of Barovia. The tiefling named Hope begins to ask the monk if he knows anything about this Barovia, but neither do. The tieflings greed get the better of her and she is set to get her hand on some possible reward. As the night lingers on they take turn around the camp fire, but as they feel dawn appearing something feels amiss. Somehow they have phased to another dimension.

The people around here is rather weird

Following the only road they can see they suddenly stop when they hear a branch crack from one side of the road and two red eyes starring at them from the mists on the other side. They carefully make their way away from the eyes to the sound and finds a dead body ravaged by wolves holding a letter (a mistake from my side since I misremembered when and how the body would come into play, but it still freaked my sisters out). They read the letter and notices that something is of, they almost describe the same thing, but looking over it again and again they notice the different hand writing, the wording and so on. The howls of wolfs draws near and they decide to get out of there. They continue to follow the road and sees a gate. As they approaches the gates open, they pass and the gates close behind them. No one is there operating the gates. They continue and they feel the sun falling (since they can't see the sky as the clouds lie as a blanket over the sky. As they approach the only town they seen since they arrived in this cursed lands they enter. And the town is empty and life-less. Walking down the main road they reach a cross-roads and two children stands there, a 7-year old and a girl of 10 years old. They are afraid to return home since there is a monster in the basement. Being the heroes, especially when it comes to small kids they enter a lonesome house, and especially being told there is a one-year old child in the nursery at the third floor.  Entering the house they immediately get that something is wrong. The wall panels and the paintings and such at first glance seems like normal, but at closer inspection have some rather disturbing images. Of course my sister believes that it's something that changes after awhile instead of always be there, so they scared themselves more than the book suggested. The players are their own worst enemies. They walk up the marble staircase to the third floor. They knew it was to the left and walks toward the door, but the tiefling notices something in the wall and finds a hidden passageway to the attic. They closes the passageway and enters the nursery. They look around and are about to open the door to the nursery when a spectre appears of a young woman and charges at them. After a quick battle they banish the spectre before it can hit them and then enters the nursery. They find a cradle covered by some black sheets they pull aside. Inside they find a baby-sized bundle. They unwrap it and it's empty.

First enemy of the game

Realising that something is very weird they enter the attic and finds a locked room that the tiefling unlocks with her thieves tools and they find a small bedroom with two beds and two skeletons on the floor clothed in the same clothes as the children they met outside and a doll that the boy was holding. Looking around they noticed a doll house in the form of the house they were in and began inspecting it. As they did two ghosts in the form of the children they saw appears. Doing nothing of the children out on the street they told them how they were locked in by their parents as they went to the basement. The players assumed that the monster in the celler killed the parents and therefore the children starved to death. They also finds the secret doors of the house by looking at the doll house and learning about the hidden staircase to the basement. But they decide they might need help with this so they head down stairs and leave the house and heads to the tavern (in the book you should lock them inside the house and that would really have set my sisters of, but reading up I knew that you should probably be around 4-6 people to tackle the horrors of the basement so I let them go in and out without problem, but I would have been more strict with a recommended party, especially a party with limited healing and defences). They left and found the tavern Blood on the Vine where they met Ismark Kolyanovic, the son of the recently dead burgomaster who wrote one of the letters and he confirms their suspicion of someone else writing the first letter. He also learns about their predicament with the house and he offers help by introducing them to Cygnus Swanfeather, an eladrin paladin of Corellon he have hired as a bodyguard for his sister Ireena Kolyanovic as they need to escape the shadows of Castle Ravenloft, the home of the devil himself. And of course he says it they look out toward the castle and thunder lights up the night. As they tell their tale Cygnus agrees to help them. They stay the night at the inn (paid by Ismark) and heads in once again.

Ismark the lesser, how that is possible with someone with 58 hit points I don't know

This time they take a more thorough look through the house. Room by room, floor by floor. They pick up some silverware in the kitchen, find a room filled with stuffed wolfs (I wish they had walked in here the first time since all they talked about was werewolves and I actually believe that in that case they would have attacked them). Walking up to the second floor they have already acquired the knowledge of the secret doors, but when they arrive to the library they still can't find the opening factor, until Cygnus picks out the book that operates the mechanism. There they find a chest with a dead body. The chest contains some documents, a deed of the house, a deed of a windmill and the will of the owners of the house. They take it. Continuing they reach the third floor. They walk through the rooms counter clockwise. As they pass by a armour at the top of the stairs it suddenly springs to life and tires to slam the paladin walking in the front, but it misses and tumbles over the railing and all parts of the armour ends up on the second and first floor, still moving, but unable to do anything (it rolled a nat 1, what was I supposed to do?). They entered a cupboard and is attacked by a broom. Cygnus tries to hit it, but the close quarters make it hard to hit with his sword. Imiral doesn't get it any better and ends up knocking him selves out (rolling two nat 1 in a row). After something like 1 minute + they are able to hack it in two. They heal and continues to the attic. Searching the rooms they finally approaches the secret door to the stairs that leads to the basement and they descend.

Dramatic reenactment of the cupboard fight

As they walk out in the basement they begin to hear some chanting. And they begin searching the basement as the chanting wanes and grows depending on where they go. The first things they find are an empty crypt and next to it a crypt dedicated to Walter Durst, the stillborn child of the owners of the  house. They find some sleeping quarters belonging to some demon-worshipping cultist that Hope begins to loot, feeling certain disgust when finding for example a coin pouch of human skin. As they walk through a corridor and reaches a four-way crossing suddenly the ground begins shaking and four ghouls appears. Cygnus rises his shield and blocks the ghouls from walking past him while he swings his silver sword, aided by Hope and Imiral that hit and runs the ghouls. After slaying the four undead monsters they continue northward and finds four more crypts belonging to the rest of the Durst family, the father, mother and the two children, Thorn and Rose. While searching the crypt of the mother they are attacked by a swarm of centipedes that tries to bite through Cygnus armoured feet, but they are quickly disposed of. They walk back and into a room with a statue of an elegantly clad man holding a crystal. Hope smells something fishy and decide to not disturb the statue. They enter the final room on this floor and finds a chest at the end of a bed, as the tiefling opens it and is about to take something, two ghasts in black robes breaks through the walls and starts attack. Once again Cygnus acts as a shield trapping one of them in their enclosed chamber while the other assails him mercilessly. Hope sneaks attack it while Imiral constantly bangs them over the head with his staff. After the battle Cygnus is bleeding profoundly and suggest that they retreat and places the childrens bones back into their graves and retire for the day since he spent all his healing powers and divine smite.

An eladrin paladin in action

Hope pawns of all the treasures they collected, but decide to keep a silvered short sword for herself. And since they have enough money to live rather comfortably they have to pay they own upkeep. Cygnus stays at the burgomaster mansion. Next day they head in once again. They walk up the stairs and then down into the mansion. Heading down again they find a hidden door that leads to the first floor in the wolf's den room... a bit late for a shortcut, but whatever. They find a staircase leading to yet another floor and the chanting grows more intense. They notice a way into some water which they decide isn't there way. They instead following a path that leads them into the prison. The tiefling finds a lonesome skeleton cultist hanging in one of the cells with a golden ring on one hand that she greedily pawns, snapping the finger of the hand. Imiral meanwhile finds a secret door that leads into the water chamber they wanted to avoid and as they walk out on a walkway above the water the chanting stops. Noticing the mechanism that controls the portcullis in the water they trigger it and opens it up as a final escape. Then they look upon the dias in the middle of the water and climbs it to the alter at the top. As they do 13 blacked figures appears chanting for a sacrifice. Hope fires a cross bolt that goes right through them. As they are about to leave the figures cry out for Lorgoth the Defiler and a bolt of lightning strikes a mound down by a crumbled wall and it comes to life. And the fight is on.

Boss time

The action starts with Hope throwing a flask of alchemist fire we found in the basement at the mound, it hits and the flames scars the monster. Imiral runs forward and attacks it with his staff and move away, dodging an opportunity attack from the monster. The monster tries to stop the flames, but fails but still walks after the monk that was the last to hit it. Cygnus standing on the top of the dias strikes down upon it with his sword and follows it up with divine smite. Hope is up again and sneak attacks the monster from the top of the dias. This goes on for some rounds until the beast finally stops the flames and starts with hitting the monk so that he is bloodied. The monk runs to the other side and out of the water to heal with a healing potion while the monster began assailing the paladin. When the paladin gets bloodied he used his fey step and teleported behind the creature confusing the creature. As Cygnus sword hacked into it it become bloodied and green blood began seeping out and into the water. The rouge continues it attacks while the monk jumps back and attacks it from atop the dias. The party is badly beaten, but in the end Cygnus gives the final strike onto the monster, slicing off one of its arms and it slumping into the water with green goo spreading from it. They take a rest atop the dias with the whole place silent, treating some of the wounds and preparing to leave the accursed house. As they take the shortcut up to the first floor they find themselves in the wolf's den filled with black smoke and the windows bricked up. Where there where doors now a scythe swings and the walls looks brittled and damaged. Hope acts instantly and runs up toward the wall leading to the foyer and smash it up with her silver sword. The wall crumbles and out pours a swarm of rats biting at Hope's feet. After taking care of that threat for a minute trying to avoid inhaling the poisonous smoke they all rush out and behind them the house collapses and the fires that have tried to take the house over the years, finally gets the better. The Death house is no more... and Hope and Imiral realises that the deed is rather worthless, until they remember the windmill and that they still own the land the house stood on. Player character, greed above all else!

Well that doesn't look that dangerous!

With this the characters are level 3 and pretty much prepared for the real adventure. And I had to fudge the dice here and there and the monster didn't play their A-game. I mean, the mound with multiple attacks with a +6 or +7? And the characters have +4 at best with very few means to make more damage? Especially my players who can't read the book all the time and me not caring about their classes, meaning I can't help them that much. I'm glad I actually picked up the spell book cards for the classes arcana overall for a simpler reference than in the 4E campaign where we didn't have books and used PDF:s which they couldn't read correctly and having computers walking back and forth wasn't an option. Especially since some characters really seems to have a problem with understanding if a spell affects one or several people. Also the maps I got was rather good, sadly it was a problem adjusting the size and I should really have made them bigger so that the tokens would fit inside the square. Sadly they now expect it for every encounter, and I don't have those resources and since there is a lot of random encounters built into the book I won't even try it for the most time. At least they can use the tokens I've gotten as references to where they stand or how they march. It was fun to play, but I'm a bit afraid to follow the rules to the letter. Maybe if I had some players that doesn't get pissed if they are hit. Family is the worst.