We played on a different night this week, got started late and had an abbreviated session. The game provided a good transition from the introduction and exposition of the campaign to a new chapter. The party now has a clear idea of the situation, and a goal; defeat the Count.
Having acquired powerful holy artifacts the brave adventurers decided to enter Castle Ravenloft itself, and set off to reconnoiter the vampire’s lair during the daylight, embarking on the next part of the campaign, the “dungeon”.
The game began with a return to the burgomaster’s estate and the party in possession of the reliquary of St. Ravenloft. Ireena and Ismark were overjoyed that the powerful artifact had been retrieved from the darkness of the castle. They asked that it be returned to its place of honor on the family altar where they hope its holy power will keep the Count from Ireena. Unwilling to part with the sacred leg bone Dastur pledged to use the object to defeat the vampire, arguing that this is the only way Ireena and Barovia will truly be safe. Ireena accepted, stating that while his plan is a gamble Dastur is correct, but Ismark was more pessimistic, concerned that the party will inadvertently deliver the relic back into the darkness. To provide some measure of protection for Ireena, the party helped her move to the Church placing her in the care of Father Donavich.
Before leaving the village, Nicolo the Warlock attempted to command the superstitious Hadjuks to abandon the tavern and join the company. Making a convincing argument that not only is the defeat of the Count the only way to leave the cursed land, but that the castle is probably full of loot. He successfully persuaded the Sirdar and the rest of the Hadjuks followed their captain.
Now at full strength , the company consist of Anthaar Zweck Champion (lv 7 fighting-man) , Reichsritter Ulrich von Reffner Thief (lv 8 thief) , Monsieur Mellin Viète Knight of the Rose Cross (lv 6 elf/initiate) , the Dastur Archbishop (lv 7 cleric) , Nicolo Oliverio Warlock (lv 7 magic user), Ya’qub Hero (lv 4 fighting man) leader of the Moorish guard of two swordsman (lv 3 fighting men), and Sirdar Bajo swashbuckler (lv 5 fighting man) leader of the Hadjuks (a hero and three swordsmen). Altogether a most impressive and well-armed band of 13 stalwart mercenaries, they set off for Castle Ravenloft in the early morning, matchlocks primed and steel sharp.
We returned to Sutherlands amazing hex map, and move the party token 6 hexes a turn. They traveled down the road past the scene of the battle with the errant zombies. I rolled 1d6 for random encounters every turn, encounters occurring on a 1. On the third turn I rolled up an encounter.
Where the Svalich road is crowded by the dark forest, massive webs blocked the path. Some thought is given to burning the webs, but it is decided to order the Moors to go forward to cut them down. This of course draws the wrath of giant spiders. Two attacked the moors on one side of the road, as another slithered from the dark trees opposite. The party responded with a fusillade of matchlock fire followed by a charge. Dastur the Zoroastrian was bitten and when I asked for a save versus poison or death the tone of the battle immediately changed. The spiders became a worthy foe, and all eyes were on the d20 rolls. A few tense saving throw rolls later and the spiders were dead. Ulrich attempted to remove the poison glands from the dead arachnids and I ruled a 3d6 WIS check with failure resulting in save vs death, he argued for INT and I conceded. He successfully removed 1d3 applications of type D poison, for which he risked his life.
The party continued following the road up into the Balinok Mountains, the temperature dropping and the snow falling harder. They encountered more spiders, this time spotting them from a distance. Deciding not to risk more deadly saving throws, the Frenchman Mellin hurled a fireball at the creatures while the rest of the party fired a volley of shot from long range. This effectively ended the encounter, and Ulrich again successfully risked his life for more deadly poison.
Once in the mountains the band headed north eventually reaching an old Byzantine bridge crossing a canyon through which the Svalich river flows. Under skies dark with thunder snow, they met a specter haunting an abandoned shrine built on the column of the bridge. The specter proved powerless in the daylight, so Nicolo parlayed, but declined the apparition’s invitation to join him in throwing themselves off the bridge. Continuing north the party arrived at a crossroads where stood a black driverless carriage, pulled by a team of silent black horses. Without much hesitation they entered the vehicle, henchmen hanging from the roof and sides and were quickly conveyed through the pass to the gates of Castle Ravenloft.
Before them crouching on a lone a spur of the mountains, the black castle loomed, separated from the gates by a thousand foot drop. A rickety drawbridge was extended, the gates open. Each member rolled against a 5% chance of falling. Everyone made it but the leader of the Hadjuks, the Sirdar Bajo. The rest of the party watched helplessly as he fell screaming to his death in the fog far below. At this point the remaining Hadjuks failed a morale check and refused to go further. Nicolo ineffectually attempted to rally them, then the Champion Zweck interceded and threatened the Slavic border reavers, the fear of the grim Dane was enough to persuade them to go on. The party then moved on into the courtyard of the Castle, the cowed Hadjuks in tow.
Declining to enter the main gates, the band found a door on the north side of the courtyard and after fully exploring the exterior entered the castle itself. The side door opened into a room lit by dust covered windows to the east; they found a table with a moldy tome atop it a door to the north, and stairs leading down to the south. Zweck declared his intention of forcing the north door open.
At this point, I got up to make some raisin toast. We play on Roll20, and I use my speakers rather than a headset so from my kitchen I ask the players to make a few rolls on my behalf while I butter the delicious toast.
Zwecks’ player makes the First roll: 1d6 to open the door. Result: failure
Failure to open a stuck door generally results in a wandering monster check.
I asked Nicolo’s player to make the Second roll: 1d6 for random encounter. Result: encounter
Then the Third roll: 1d12 for encounter type. Result: 2d8 wights
Then the Fourth roll: 2d8 for number of wights. Result: 16 wights
I get back to the table with my toast and prepare to shove 16 wights into a 20 by 20 room that already contains 12 adventurers.
I determined that it made sense for the wights to be coming from up the stairway, so:
From the darkness a gibbering horde of 16 putrid wights came grasping up the stairs, a cold light shining in the black pits of their eyes. Marching order was somewhat ambiguous (we need this to be clearly defined in the future.) So after some hem hawing we figured out that Mellin and Ya’qub stood at the top of the stairs.
The wights won initiative; Ya’qub was level drained and then withdrew. Mellin was unsuccessfully attacked, and then used his boots of levitation into float to a position where he was safe from the wights claws. Ulrich’s player advocated running, his advice was unheeded and he joined Nicolo in a silver bullet volley with pistols that would last the rest of the encounter. The Dastur drew forth the holy leg bone f St. Ravenloft from the reliquary, and boldly strode forward with the light of Ahura Mazda filling his body, and the power of Jehovah shining forth from the bone, he rolled to turn the vile undead, 2d6+2 for the relic and hits 14. The wights withered before the might of God. Suddenly, the fight didn’t seem so bad. Dastur and Zweck took the front, bashing at the two remaining undead with the magic bull mace, and Zwecks +1 misericord. The rest of the party proceeded to fire volley after volley of silver bullets filling the room with the clamor of reports and the stench of powder. Once the smoke cleared, the wights were truly dead.
I allowed Zweck to redeem his botched door opening attempt, and he forced the north passage open revealing a set of stairs ascending. With the choice of going up or down, we called it a night.
After awarding XP, Ya’qub regained his lost level. The Sirdar Bajo thus far has been our only casualty.
The party is now within the walls of Castle Ravenloft. Let the gothic dungeon crawling commence!
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