For an explanation of the calendar used, see [[Calendar of Harptos]]. See [[Curse of Strahd]] for more information on the campaign. ## 1490 #### 20 Nightal 1490 [[Krue d'Avenir|Krue]], [[Nia Skultrac|Nia]], and [[Skoll de Marais|Skoll]] meet on a winding path at night. After a brief conversation, the three realize that they are all in the same situation: lost in an unfamiliar forest covered with mist, with no idea how they arrived there. With little else to do, they follow the path, hoping it will lead out of the forest and to some sort of settlement. They come across [[Fritz von Weerg]], however the automaton is unable to introduce himself. At one point during their travels, the group is confronted with hundreds of ravens dotting the trees. When Krue hoots out of nervousness, the ravens respond with a cacophony. Unknown to the party, a few of the ravens are actually wereravens and members of the [[Keepers of the Feather]]. The only trouble they face with the rest of the journey comes in the form of a sentient, malicious scarecrow. Although the three are pursued, they manage to make it to [[Barovia Village]] without harm befalling them. Skoll, Nia, and Krue ignore a wailing cry that sounds throughout the village, electing instead to visit the local tavern, [[Blood of the Vine]]. Inside, they find [[Arik]], a man who treats Krue and Skoll with suspicion due to their unusual appearances for the area. They also meet [[Ismark]], the son of the recently deceased burgomaster, effectively making him the town leader. Ismark informs the party that they are in the country of [[Barovia]], a land under the rule of the vampire lord [[Strahd von Zarovich]]. When the party expresses the desire to leave Barovia, Ismark points them in the direction of [[Vallaki]], a nearby town where the party might have better luck finding a way back home. He also offers them a job, asking the party to escort his sister [[Ireena Kolyana]] to Vallaki. He informs them that Ireena is in danger as long as she remains in the village, as she is being pursued by Strahd himself. The three are granted shelter in Ismark's home for the night. For their own various reasons, they agree to escort Ireena to Vallaki, making plans to leave the following day. #### 21 Nightal 1490 In the morning, Krue, Skoll, and Nia head for [[Bildrath's Mercantile]] to get supplies for the journey ahead. [[Blidrath]] tries to overcharge them – in response, they steal some bread. Skoll talks Bildrath into giving Krue a discount on a deck of cards, and Krue gives Skoll a crystal that she stole from Bildrath in return. On the streets, the party finds an old woman named [[Morgantha]] selling "dream pastries." Krue buys two of these pastries, giving one to Skoll and Nia each. Per Ismark's request, the party attends the funeral for Ismark and Ireena's late father. At the church, they meet [[Father Donavich]], learning that he has a "creature problem" in the church's basement. Eager to leave the village, the party does not inquire further about this problem. Unknown to the party, they also meet Strahd, who arrives at the church while Ireena is in a backroom with Father Donavich. Despite not knowing the man's identity, the party remains tense around the stranger; Strahd leaves shortly thereafter. Krue, Nia, and Skoll leave Barovia for Vallaki, Ireena in tow. After a brief encounter with an ominous corpse, they all arrive at the [[Tser Pool Caravan]], where several [[Vistani]] have settled. The party meets [[Magda]], who informs them that the only way out of Barovia is by permission of Strahd. Skoll purchases a sheep and Ireena names it Edward. More practically, Krue and Nia purchase a mule together. Nia names the mule Lloks due to its resemblance to Skoll. On Magda's recommendation, the party meets with [[Madame Yva]], a fortune teller located at the Tser Pool encampment. The party is thrown by how much Yva seems to know about them all, but they allow her to read their fortunes from a tarokka deck. The party is presented with the following fortunes: > This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy. "A woman hangs above a roaring fire. Find her, and you will find the treasure." > This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope. "Look for a wizard's tower on a lake. Let the wizard's name and servant guide you to that which you seek." > This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight. "Look to a place where sickness and madness are bred. Where children once cried, the treasure lies still." > This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness. "What horror is this? I see a man made by a man. Ageless and alone, it haunts the towers of the castle." > Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. This card will lead you to him! "He waits for you in a place of wisdom, warmth, and despair. Great secrets are there." Krue doesn't put much stock in the fortunes despite Yva's uncanny knowledge of her past. Still, she finds herself interested in the idea of a "sword of sunlight." Shortly outside of the Vistani camp, the party comes across a bag and some loose clothing. Suspecting that the items belong to a werewolf, they leave them largely alone; they do, however, leave a note and some bread, courtesy of Skoll. The party finds themselves in combat for the first time after stumbling into a field full of scarecrows. Although they only end up fighting two, the encounter goes somewhat poorly – Nia and Skoll spend most of it frightened. During the fight, Nia accidentally hits Skoll with a dagger, ripping off a chunk of his ear. Skoll doesn't hold it against her. Eventually, they all make it to the gates of Vallaki. The gates are being guarded by [[Miruna]] and [[Lazlo Lazarescu]], who are both initially reluctant to let strangers into the city. Still, the party manages to persuade the guards to let them pass. Skoll, Nia, Krue, and Ireena pay for rooms at the [[Blue Water Inn]], deciding that it makes sense to stick together for now. Skoll, Nia, and Krue all find themselves worried for Ireena's safety in the town. At the inn, the party finds the half-elf [[Rudolph van Richten]] disguised as a bard and circus-performer named Rictavio. Skoll worries for the man's safety – however, when they tell Rictavio about not being able to leave Barovia without Strahd's blessing, Rictavio denies any such knowledge of being unable to leave. When the party explains Ireena's situation to Rictavio, he offers her a cover story, claiming to be in Barovia to gather circus performers. Ireena joins as the latest (and first) member of Rictavio's crew. #### 22 Nightal 1490 Skoll, Nia, and Krue explore Vallaki while Ireena remains at the inn. In the town square, they find a family being held captive in the town stocks. Skoll later convinces the burgomaster of Vallaki, [[Vargas Vallakovich]], to release the family, who he had apprehended for their lack of enthusiasm regarding the mandatory town festivals. He refers to the crime as "malicious unhappiness," and only agrees to release the family on the condition that they improve their mood. Still, the family agrees. Skoll gives the children items that he bought from the local toymaker, [[Blinsky]]. Krue thinks that Skoll's actions are admirable, but she finds it hard to be celebratory due to the conditions of the family's release. Also at Blinsky's, the party meets [[Piccolo]], Rictavio's pet monkey who is currently under the care of the toymaker. The party's delight is cut short when they discover a doll that was modeled to look like Ireena. They interrogates Blinsky about the doll, learning that the head guard and burgomaster's son, [[Izek Strazni]], has been commissioning dolls with Ireena's likeness for months. They also learn that Izek has been coming in with increasingly specific descriptions of how he wants the doll to look. They return to the inn and inform Ireena of their findings, and Ireena tells them that she has never met Izek. Together with Ireena, the party makes the decision that Ireena should stay in her room at the inn as much as possible until they can find her a safer place to stay. Krue attempts to raise her spirits by speaking to a rowdy pair of brothers at the inn, [[Karl Wachter|Karl]] and [[Nikolai Wachter]]. When the brothers seem unimpressed with Krue's story about the scarecrows that attacked them, Krue regales them with a falsified account of her slaying a dragon. Karl and Nikolai believe the story, which doesn't both her – what does bother her, however, is that Skoll and Ireena also believe the story, whereas Nia and Rictavio do not. On Krue's suggestion, Krue, Skoll, and Nia head to the [[Old Bonegrinder]], a windmill located shortly out of Vallaki. They find the windmill occupied by three hags, discovering an upsetting truth: the "dream pastries" that Krue had given Skoll and Nia the other day were made by the hags, likely out of the remains of human children. Inside the windmill, the party finds the young children [[Freek]] and [[Myrtle]] being held captive. They release the children and then set the windmill ablaze after trapping the hags inside. While speaking with the children, the party discovers that Freek and Myrtle were both given freely to the hag by their parents. When asked if anyone else could care for them, Freek mentions two people from the village of Barovia who may be willing: Ismark and Ireena. Back at the inn, Ireena agrees to have Rictavio take the children to Ismark come the next day. Sharing a room together, Ireena and Krue play cards. Ireena confides in Krue about how she does not feel as safe as she had hoped to in Vallaki. Krue finds it hard to reassure her – but she tries her best, informing Ireena that she has every intention of leaving Barovia, stating that Ireena is welcome to leave as well once Krue figures out how to do so. #### 23 Nightal 1490 In the morning, Skoll wakes to find wooden antlers growing out of his head. Nia summons her tressym familiar, discovering that the creature has an usually skeletal appearance while in Barovia. Skoll brings Freek and Myrtle to see Piccolo, hoping to cheer them up. Unfortunately, the children are only frightened when Skoll talks to Piccolo using his beast speech. The party pays two hunters, [[Yevgeni]] and [[Szoldar]], to escort Freek and Myrtle to Ismark. The party also asks Rictavio to accompany them, trusting the man; he does so for free, albeit reluctantly. Yevgeni and Szoldar request half their payment up front, which the party pays on Ireena's coin. Herself impoverished, Krue steals a few gold pieces from Ireena – however, she replaces the money later that day, and pays the remainder of Yevgeni and Szoldar's fee herself. Rictavio purposely leaves his journal on the table as he is leaving. The party takes the bait and reads the journal, finding that it catalogues various unique people that Rictavio has supposedly met on his travels. They are able to tell that the ink looks fresher than it should, suggesting that all of the entries have been written recently regardless of their attributed dates. The party is caught reading Rictavio's journal when he reenters the inn, and he puts on a show of being offended. Krue, Skoll, and Nia leave Vallaki and head for the Vistani [[Luna River Caravan Camp]], hoping to trade. They are sidetracked upon leaving Vallaki, however, finding a drunken man on a boat in the middle of [[Lake Zarovich]]. A storm is fast approaching, and Skoll wishes to warn the man. After traveling to the middle of the lake, Skoll and Krue find that the man – [[Bluto Krogarov]] – has kidnapped a Vistana child, aiming to secure good luck for his endeavors in fishing. Krue pushes him into the lake and lets him drown before carrying the child, [[Arabelle]], to land. Arabelle tells the party that her father is [[Luvash]], leader of the Luna River Caravan. They take her to the Vistani camp where they meet Luvash's brother, [[Arrigal]]. The camp is not in the best state when the party arrives, having recently been attacked by Izek out of bigotry for the Vistani. Luvash is incredibly grateful to see the return of his daughter; he rewards the party handsomely for their good deed. From Luvash, the party learns that [[Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] of Vallaki is likely in league with Strahd. He also confirms that Strahd treats the Vistani favorably, as his life was saved by a group of Vistani during a past battle. Despite the Vistani's agreement with Strahd, Luvash supplies the party with details for their maps of the area. He points out various locations: the Druidlands, Wolflands, [[Castle Ravenloft]], the ruins of [[Berez]], and a [[Wizard Tower|wizard tower]]. Recognizing the wizard tower from one of the fortunes provided by Madame Yva, the party leaves, heading in that direction. On their way to the tower, the party encounters a couple druids, one of them named [[Tural]]. They find it difficult to communicate with the druids due to their dialect and end up having a conversation in broken Elvish. The druids are cautious and wary, but Skoll gives them bread before they depart. The party arrives at the wizard tower, finding the [[Ezmerelda d'Avenir's Wagon|wagon]] that belongs to [[Ezmerelda d'Avenir]]. They heed the wagon's "keep out" sign, but Skoll solves the puzzle required to enter the tower itself, which has the name [[Khazan]] inscribed above the door. While most of the wizard tower is decrepit, the party finds a set of mute animated armor that is watching over the place. Nia has the idea to give the armor a pen and paper, and he provides the party with information. Learning that the armor is without a name, Skoll encourages him to pick one – and the armor does, settling on [[Christopher]]. Through Christopher, the party learns that Khazan was the name of the long-dead wizard who first constructed the tower. They also are pointed to one of the treasures – the [[Holy Symbol of Ravenkind]] – from Yva's fortunes, which they find located behind a wall on the fourth floor of the tower. Christopher informs the party that the tower was recently occupied by the legendary vampire hunter Rudolph van Richten until he left for Vallaki a couple months prior. Ezmerelda then shows up to the tower on a stolen horse, beaten and bloodied after a venture into Castle Ravenloft. She is wary of the party at first, but she is a little more forthcoming after Krue and Skoll heal her. She tells the party that she is in Barovia looking for her mentor, van Richten – when she describes the man, the party realizes Rictavio's true identity. The party leads Ezmerelda back to the Blue Water Inn in Vallaki, finding out from Yevgeni and Szoldar that Rictavio did not return with them, instead having broken off from the main road on the return trip from the village. Frustrated, Ezmerelda elects to stay at the inn for the time being. On Ireena's suggestion, Krue, Skoll, and Nia head to the church in Vallaki, where they ask [[Father Lucian]] about the holy symbol that they found in the wizard tower. After he confirms its resemblance to the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, Nia and Krue tell him that it is a replica, aiming to keep the artifact for themselves. Father Lucian readily believes the lie. Father Lucian asks the party for help with a troubling matter: Saint Andral's bones, which usually protect the church from vampire attacks, had recently been stolen. The party agrees to help recover the bones, reasoning that hallowed ground would provide some relative safety for Ireena while they figure out how to leave Barovia. The party quickly discerns that the gravekeeper, [[Milivoj]], was paid by the local coffin maker, [[Henrik van der Voort]], to steal the bones for him. They break into van der Voort's house and quickly find the bones, avoiding an encounter with the man entirely. Feeling sympathy for Milivoj and his family, the party avoids telling Father Lucian who was responsible for the missing bones. Father Lucian accepts the return of the bones regardless, gladly agreeing to provide Ireena with sanctuary. Still, the party does not yet move Ireena to the church, having all grown attached to her in the short time since they met. #### 24 Nightal 1490 Krue, Skoll, Nia, Ireena, and Ezmerelda wake for the day in Vallaki. The group decides to attend the town's mandatory [[Festival of the Blazing Sun]], venturing out into the rain. The festival – which in part includes a parade of unhappy children dressed as sunflowers – is miserable for everyone involved. Vallakovich has guards seize those who do not appear happy enough during the festival. He eventually turns his attention to the party members, expecting each of them to feign positivity. They nearly all do so, excepting for Krue, whose feathers weigh her down uncomfortably in the rain. Although the burgomaster orders Krue to be seized by the guards, she avoids arrest by flying into the air. She also manages to avoid a fireball cast by Izek on Vallakovich's command. In the ensuing moments, Nia attempts to stealthy disappear into the crowd with Ireena while Vallakovich is distracted with Skoll, who started to run off after attempting to reason with the burgomaster. Ireena, however, is spotted by Izek after her hood falls off, and they flee in clear view. Still, Izek is unable to pursue the party, forced to tend to Vallakovich after the man is struck by Ezmerelda's bolt of lightning. During a brief stop at the Blue Water Inn to collect their belongings, Nia is tipped off to the friendly nature of the ravens in Barovia by the barkeep [[Danika Dorakova]], who is secretly one of the leaders of the Keepers of the Feather. Having been effectively ran out of town, the party regroups at the wizard tower, which they decide will have to function as a temporary base of operations. Noticing that Ireena is shaken from her encounter with Izek, Krue decides to do something practical to help; namely, she wishes to repair the crumbling wizard tower and build a small cabin. After leaving Ezmerelda to watch over Ireena, Skoll, Nia, and Krue head to the nearby settlement of Krezk to gather supplies. At the commune of Krezk, Skoll, Nia, and Krue are received by the local leader, [[Dimitri Krezkov]]. Krezkov allows the party into town, although he makes it clear that they are only there to trade; he also tells them that they are to stay out of the [[Abbey of Saint Markovia]]. In exchange for chopping wood, Krue obtains the supplies and tools necessary to repair the wizard tower. Skoll also secures the party some fruits and vegetables after laboring in a local garden. While they are working, the party learns that the abbey – once harboring those who opposed Strahd – is now full of "sickness and madness." This reminds Nia and Krue of Yva's fortune concerning the sword of sunlight. Despite Krezkov's orders, the party decides to investigate the abbey. Krue, Skoll, and Nia avoid confrontation in the abbey, sneaking past its mongrelfolk inhabitants, as well as [[The Abbot]] and [[Vasilka]], a woman made of sewn body parts who resembles Ireena. In the abbey's long-unused nursery, Krue recovers the sunsword from Yva's fortune. By holding the sword, the party can discern two things: the sword is sentient, and it has a strong desire to kill Strahd. On the way out of town, Skoll asks [[Sorina Garvinski]] to keep an eye out for Rictavio. Unknown to the party, Sorina is a wereraven and Keepers member. The party makes it back to the tower. Ezmerelda tries and fails to take the sunsword from Krue, who finds the interaction charming. Krue allows Ireena to hold the sunsword after she asks politely. From the sword's telegraphed emotions, they both get the sense that the sword views Ireena as familiar. Ireena is unsure of what this means, denying having seen the sword before. That night, Skoll makes the party dinner with his newly acquired vegetables. #### 25 Nightal 1490 Krue begins preparing materials for construction on the wizard tower. Nia begins teaching Ireena thieves cant, and they spend much of the day holed up in the tower together. #### 26 Nightal 1490 Krue repairs the wizard tower. She and Skoll discuss her knowledge of Elvish. Krue fails to mention that she does not know much conversational Elvish, having taught herself the language through the study of ancient ruins. Krue plans to build the cabin outside the tower in such a way where it is impossible to enter the tower without first entering the cabin. She believes this will provide an added layer of security, thinking that any visiting vampires will have to be invited in twice. Ezmerelda and Nia attempt to argue with Krue's logic, but she proceeds with her plan anyway. #### 27 Nightal 1490 Skoll attempts to send a note to [[Hati]], however he receives no response. Krue works on the cabin. Meanwhile, Nia continues teaching Ireena thieves cant. #### 28 Nightal 1490 Nia and Ireena's language lessons continue. Krue works on the cabin. As has become typical since adopting the tower as a base, Ezmerelda spends more time inside than anyone else, pouring over resources left by Rictavio. Although Ezmerelda curses at Krue whenever she approaches her, Krue discerns that Ezmerelda is warming up to the group, possibly thanks to the havoc they caused in Vallaki. #### 29 Nightal 1490 Krue convinces Skoll to trade her an expensive gold disk for a cool rock that she found, remaining upfront with the value of the disk. Once they complete the trade, Krue promises to split the profit between the party. While Krue continues to construct the cabin, Skoll and Nia visit Vallaki in disguise to do some trading. #### 30 Nightal 1490 Krue finishes construction of the cabin. Ireena and Nia wrap up Ireena's thieves cant lessons. ## 1491 #### 1 Hammer 1491 The party awakes and finds something alarming: a letter from Strahd which invites Skoll, Nia, and Krue to Castle Ravenloft. Ignoring Strahd's invitation for the time being, the three decide to head to the local ruins of Berez in search of leads on the remaining treasures described by Yva. At Berez, the party meets the ghost of the former burgomaster, [[Ulrich]]. Ulrich informs the party of the fate that befell the town, in the process revealing that Strahd has been trying to recapture the soul of a red-haired woman from his past named Tatyana. The party learns that Berez once had the misfortune of having someone in their company that looked like Tatyana – Ulrich's daughter, [[Marina]]. Marina agreed to be put to death to avoid falling into Strahd's clutches; in retaliation, Strahd flooded the entire town. Departing from Ulrich, Skoll, Nia, and Krue head further into Berez. They come across the [[Baba Lysaga|Baba Lysaga's]] hut, outside of which are ravens being held in captivity. Skoll converses with one of the ravens, learning that the witch gathers the birds with the aim of killing them. Nia unlocks the cages and frees the ravens. To the party's surprise, one of the ravens turns into a young man who introduces himself as [[Yesper Taltos]]. With their new knowledge of wereravens, Skoll, Nia, and Krue decide to confront the Baba Lysaga, recognizing that she would only continue to capture and kill the ravens otherwise. Although the witch's walking hut initially proves troublesome for the party, Krue manages to disable it by removing a large gemstone from underneath the hut's floorboards. The party then faces the Baba Lysaga; Krue is gravely injured during combat, but the three eventually defeat the witch. After the fight, Skoll releases the goats that the Baba Lysaga was keeping in a nearby pen. He keeps one of the goats for himself, and Krue names it Remi. Yesper tells the party about the Keepers of the Feather, relaying that the members of the organization will do their best to aid the party should they attempt to depose Strahd. After agreeing to meet with the Keepers the following day, Skoll, Nia, and Krue return to the wizard tower. Back at the tower, Krue washes her blood off in the nearby lake. Meanwhile, Skoll puts the gemstone recovered from the Baba Lysaga's hut in Christopher's armor; as a result, Christopher gains sapience. #### 2 Hammer 1491 Deciding that Ireena is in further danger as long as Izek is alive, Nia, Skoll, and Krue hatch a plan to kill him. They also reason that killing Vallakovich's head guard will leave the burgomaster without much means to enforce his power. Due to her conspicuous appearance and lack of means to disguise herself, Krue stays behind at the wizard tower while Nia and Skoll travel to Vallaki. At the tower, Krue, Ireena, and Ezmerelda play cards to pass the time. In Vallaki, Nia and Skoll discover that Rictavio has returned to the Blue Water Inn. They inform him that they know of his true identity; they also let him know that his apprentice Ezmerelda is back at the tower. After weathering scorn from Skoll and Nia, Rictavio learns of their plan to kill Izek. He advises that they kill Lady Wachter as well; she is allies with Strahd, and Vallaki will likely fall under her influence if the burgomaster's power is threatened. Following Rictavio's advice, Skoll and Nia head for Lady Wachter. They kill the woman without issue, and she dies on the floor of her estate. Having dealt with Lady Wachter, Skoll and Nia give a note detailing Ireena's presence in Berez to a member of the guard, instructing the guard to deliver the note to Izek. They then gather Rictavio and return to the wizard tower. Back at the tower, Rictavio shows himself to be much more of a dry, nervous person than his circus-performing persona would suggest. He warns the party members that he cannot get too close to them, as he is cursed to experience the death of everyone he cares about; no one heeds him, however. Ezmerelda drags her mentor off to talk. Ireena wishes Skoll, Nia, and Krue luck, and the three leave for Berez to deal with Izek. Izek arrives at Berez shortly after the party, having brought Lazlo and Miruna as backup. Hidden and from a distance, Nia psychically interrogates Izek. They learn that Izek was adopted by Vallakovich after losing his family in a dire wolf attack; they also learn that Izek has visions of Ireena but has no idea who she is otherwise. Izek refuses to leave Ireena alone. At this time, the party also learns that Izek was responsible for the attack on the Luna River Caravan. Combat ensues. The party convinces Miruna not to fight, and Lazlo is shortly set on fire by Izek on accident. After Izek is killed, Krue collects his battleaxe while Skoll heals Lazlo. At the tower, the party informs Ireena about Izek's visions. She wants to know more about his relation to her; the party agrees to confront Vallakovich about it tomorrow. While waiting for the Keepers to arrive, Rictavio occupies his wagon. He refuses to be with the others, but he tells the party of the origin of his curse when they ask: he was cursed by a Vistana who lost someone innocent by his hand. When Krue asks Rictavio for specifics on who cursed him, he refuses to answer, believing that he deserves the curse inflicted upon him. Skoll, Krue, and Ezmerelda cook dinner. Eventually, the Keepers of the Feather arrive at the wizard tower, flanked by hundreds of ravens. Keepers members [[Urwin Martikov]], Danika Dorakova, Sorina Garvinski, Yesper Taltos, and [[Robi Rilsky]] join the group for dinner. Together with Rictavio and Ezmerelda, Urwin develops maps of the region for the party, strategizing about next steps. Urwin, leader of the Keepers, extends an offer of membership to those present. Krue, Skoll, and Nia all join, agreeing to the Keeper's oath to help those in Barovia who are in need. While none of the three are interested in becoming a wereraven, they all accept the cloaks offered by Urwin. #### 3 Hammer 1491 As is typical, Skoll makes breakfast for the group to start the day. Ireena, Ezmerelda, Skoll, Nia, and Krue depart the tower in Ezmerelda's wagon; Rictavio stays behind, still wrapped up in fears about his curse. Thanks to items scattered around Ezmerelda's wagon – namely a lyre, a tarokka deck, and a harlequin mask – the party is able to glean that she has a side job; beyond that, they realize that Rictavio's disguise is something of a bootleg version of her work. Skoll, Nia, and Krue briefly check in with Luvash at the Luna River Caravan, informing him of Izek's death. Ezmerelda and Ireena stay in the wagon – Ireena to avoid detection, and Ezmerelda because she stole a horse from the caravan after fleeing from Castle Ravenloft. The party meets the dusk elf [[Kasimir Velikov]]. From Kasimir, they learn that there used to be a large dusk elf population in Barovia before Strahd's chamberlain – [[Rahadin]], a dusk elf himself – killed the entire female population. They are told that Rahadin was acting in retaliation, as one of the dusk elves was attempting to gain favor in Strahd's court. Recognizing the party's desire to leave Barovia, Kasimir also tells them that they might want to visit the [[Amber Temple]], the site where Strahd secured his immortality. Departing from the Vistani camp, the party heads to Vallaki. At the gates, Miruna grants them passage; the party then tells her to gather as many people as possible and meet them in the town center. After dropping Ireena off at the Blue Water Inn, Skoll, Nia, Krue, and Ezmerelda pay Vallakovich a visit. Intimidated by the sight of Izek's battleaxe and armor, Vallakovich agrees to search for records on Izek's family for the party. While they are waiting, the party loots his house, and Ezmerelda steals an entire mirror. They also find and release a "maliciously unhappy" citizen who is chained in a backroom. In the attic, the party meets the burgomaster's teenage son, [[Victor Vallakovich]]. They discover a faulty teleportation circle on the ground, learning that Victor has killed multiple servants trying to test it. Not wanting to cause a scene while they still need answers – and also not wanting to kill a teenager – Krue leaves the room. Meanwhile, Skoll and Nia convince Victor to not test his teleportation circle on people. Vallakovich returns with information about Izek's family. Nia suggests they walk while they talk, and they begin leading him to the town center. Skoll, Nia, Krue, and Ezmerelda learn that Izek had a baby sister: Ireena Strazni, who is assumed to have died with the rest of Izek's family. The party is shaken by the fact that they killed Ireena's brother; but they don't have much time to grapple with the revelation, having arrived at the center of town. Much of the town's population occupies the town center. Aiming to diminish whatever power Vallakovich still holds, Skoll turns the burgomaster into a donkey in front of everyone. After a moment, the crowd joyfully erupts. Krue leads Vallakovich into the stocks after he kicks Skoll, causing even more excitement from the crowd. Karl leads everyone in a chant, and the "dragon slayers" are praised by the townsfolk. While the town is celebrating, Nia gives Urwin the land deeds that she had stolen from Lady Wachter's house the day prior. Skoll wanders off while Krue and Nia meet with Ireena, not wanting to break the news about Izek himself. Ireena takes the news well enough, however, even if she seems a bit lost for words. Unsure how to comfort her, Krue awkwardly gives her Izek's battleaxe, a gesture which Ireena pretends to appreciate. Having effectively cleansed Vallaki of both Strahd's influence and Izek, the party decides to move Ireena to the church for the time being; it is difficult for Skoll, Krue, Nia, and Ireena, but they reason that Ireena will be safer at the church than anywhere else. Back at the tower, Rictavio refuses to get out of his wagon to eat, so Skoll and Krue pull him out through the window. Krue and Rictavio briefly speak about Rictavio's curse again; Krue gets through to him enough to receive an apology. Energized by the day's events, Skoll, Nia, Krue, and Ezmerelda decide to pay a visit to [[Argynvostholt]], an old manor located off the road to Berez. Inside, they find a wounded [[Savid]], who provides the party with information after Skoll heals him. They learn that the manor once housed an organization called the [[Order of the Silver Dragon]] before its members – along with the dragon that they followed – were all slain by Strahd. After escorting Savid out of the manor, the party continues exploring. In a fight that proves difficult for them, the party is shortly attacked by three revenants. By the time the revenants are defeated, Skoll and Krue are nearly unconscious; in Krue's case, this is partly thanks to Ezmerelda, who had accidentally shot Krue with lightning during combat. After Krue patches up Skoll, the four return to the wizard tower, where Rictavio heals Krue and Skoll further. Meanwhile, Ezmerelda makes the party dinner, since Skoll is out of commission. The party learns that cooking is not Ezmerelda's strong suit. #### 4 Hammer 1491 Skoll, Nia, and Krue reason that continuing to ignore Strahd's dinner invitation would be dangerous. At Krue's suggestion, Skoll cleans up before they depart, allowing Krue to cut his hair and borrowing Rictavio's clothes. The three leave the wizard tower, stopping by the Luna River Caravan to buy horses. They then make their way to Castle Ravenloft without trouble. Rahadin greets the party in the entryway to Castle Ravenloft and leads them to a dining hall where Strahd awaits them. From Strahd's voice, the party realizes that they have already met him in disguise during their visit to Father Donavich's church. Strahd invites Skoll, Nia, and Krue to sit down and eat; while they do all sit down, Krue is the only one to eat any of the food. Throughout the ensuing conversation, Strahd reveals some of his motives. He lets the party know that they are in Barovia largely thanks to his own boredom; moreover, he plans to foster them until ultimately defeating them in combat would prove satisfying. He also notes that the party has certainly proved interesting so far – the ‘political revolution' in Vallaki did not go unnoticed. It takes some prodding, but Strahd eventually speaks of Tatyana, revealing that she loved Strahd's brother, [[Sergei von Zarovich]], instead of him. Skoll tries his best to appeal to Strahd, but the effort proves futile. Instead, Strahd takes the opportunity to read the minds of Skoll, Nia, and Krue, asking incendiary and invasive questions. He prods Skoll and Nia about significant figures from their past – [[Manilfari]] and [[Selise]] respectively. In response, Nia draws her rapier, but Skoll and Krue manage to talk her down. Strahd attempts to sow distrust between the party members by vaguely alluding to the fact that Nia is a dhampir – Skoll and Nia don't take the bait. He then moves his attention to Krue, reminding her of her military desertion while suggesting that she doesn't have much substance to her at all. During the conversation, Strahd also tells the party that his death would not free Barovia. Strahd lets the party leave without trouble. After being left in the entryway by Rahadin, the party decides to sneak deeper into the castle, in search of the "man made from a man," the ally alluded to in Madame Yva's fortune. The party manages to find the subject of Madame Yva's fortune: a delightful clockwork clown named [[Pidlwick II]]. During the search, they also recover the Icon of Ravenloft. On the way back to the wizard tower, the three are attacked by dire wolves. Upset both by Strahd's reminder of Mani and by the wolves' resemblance to Hati, Skoll refuses to fight – by the time Krue and Nia manage to defeat the wolves, Skoll lies on the ground, sobbing and bloodied. Krue and Nia are similarly shaken from the encounter with Strahd, and the party calls an early night. #### 5 Hammer 1491 Krue checks in with Skoll and Nia in the aftermath of Strahd's dinner. The conversation inspires Skoll to try to summon Hati again; he manages somewhat successfully, as Hati's form takes that of a wolf skeleton. Short on leads, Skoll, Nia, Krue, and Ezmerelda head for Argynvostholt once more. Along the way, the party encounters a pair of hunters; it quickly becomes clear that these hunters are werewolves. The ensuing moments are tense, but Skoll manages to defuse the situation by giving bread to the hunters, who recognize Skoll as the one who left bread for one of the werewolves previously. In Argynvostholt, the party follows a small dragon made of smoke and ash through the manor. It eventually leads them upstairs, where the revenants [[Vladimir Horngaard]] and [[Godfrey Gwilym]] are located. The party learns that Strahd stole away the foundation of the Order's magic when he slayed the dragon Argynvost and took his head to Castle Ravenloft. Godfrey tells the party that retrieving the skeleton and laying it to rest in Argynvostholt may allow the spirits of the manor – including Vladimir's – to rest. However, thanks to his oath to Vladimir, Godfrey cannot rest until Strahd is defeated – as such, he agrees to help the party take on the vampire lord if they return the skeleton of Argynvost to the manor. After agreeing to help Godfrey, the party returns to the wizard tower. There, Skoll bakes several cakes for Krue's birthday – Skoll, Nia, and Krue take the leftovers to Vallaki. In Vallaki, the party learns from Danika and Urwin that Vallakovich is making it difficult to secure the land outlined in the land deeds previously provided by Nia. The party then coerces Vallakovich to resign and leave town; he agrees on the condition that he never has to see the party again. The party finds a lonely Ireena in the church of Vallaki. Hoping to help her stave off some boredom, Krue gives her a deck of cards. After departing from Ireena, they visit Blinsky, finding that the toymaker has made several protype toys modeled after the party. On the way back to the wizard tower, the party encounters a wandering revenant. Skoll manages to talk their way out of an altercation, but the revenant warns Skoll and Krue to watch their backs around Nia. For her birthday, Krue receives a necklace from Yesper, Rictavio, and Ezmerelda. #### 6 Hammer 1491 Krue is prompted by Skoll to tell her dragon-slaying tale to Ezmerelda; Ezmerelda doesn't believe the story for a moment. At the Tser Pool Vistani camp, Krue buys a dog and names him Ajax. Krue, Skoll, and Nia take Pidlwick to Castle Ravenloft in search for the remains of Argynvost. Thanks to Pidlwick's knowledge of the castle, the party is easily able to recover the dragon's skull. The three then successfully transport the skull to the crypt Argynvostholt. Once the skull is placed in the crypt, the spirits of the manor begin to pass over into the afterlife. Krue, Skoll, and Nia watch Godfrey and Vladimir share a tearful goodbye as the two kiss before Vladimir's spirit departs. With Godfrey in tow, the party heads back to the wizard tower for the night. #### 7 Hammer 1491 Based on information they received from the Keepers of the Feather, the party decides to venture to [[Mount Baratok]] in search of the [[Mordenkainen|Mad Mage]], who they believe may prove a powerful ally against Strahd. Krue leads Skoll, Nia, Godfrey, and Ezmerelda through the mountains. After long hours of travel, they eventually come across a shouting, rambling man in wizard's clothes; some time after Skoll heals him, they discover his true identity: Mordenkainen. While Nia is starstruck, none of the other party members are particularly impressed to meet him. They learn that Mordenkainen had already tried to kill Strahd once, which is how he ended up cursed in the mountains. However, he is embarrassed that he required aid – so he tells the party that it will take several hours before he is ready to discuss matters with them. In the meantime, he invites them into his extradimensional mansion. After the party enjoys a reprieve, they try to convince Mordenkainen to join them in the fight against Strahd. He agrees to fight Strahd, although he clarifies that he has no desire to join their "adventuring party." Having accomplished their goal, the party rests for the night inside Mordenkainen's mansion. #### 8 Hammer 1491 Mordenkainen gives a Charm of Nine Lives each to Skoll, Nia, and Krue. Skoll, Nia, Krue, Ezmrelda, and Godfrey depart from Mordenkainen and trek back to the wizard tower. They encounter several undead foes along the way, but none of them prove to be an issue. #### 9 Hammer 1491 Skoll, Nia, Krue, Ezmerelda, Yesper, and Godfrey head for [[Tsolenka Pass]], beyond which lies the Amber Temple. Along the way, the party comes across people who appear to be from the same settlement as the druids who they met in the woods previously. Unlike the druids, however, the new strangers are carrying weapons. They tell the party to leave, and the party complies – but not before Skoll gives them food. The party does not come across a roc at Tsolenka Pass, which Urwin had indicated might occupy the area. Yesper and Godfrey return to the wizard tower to inform Rictavio that Krue, Nia, Skoll, and Ezmerelda will be carrying onto the Amber Temple. As they near the temple, the party spots a shadow of a man on a horse, the only notable markings on his person being the sigil of Strahd. When they approach, the figure disappears. Inside the Amber Temple, the party sneaks past several large amber guardians on patrol. They also find a wounded [[Vilnius]], who proves largely unhelpful even after Skoll heals him. The party also meets the arcanaloth [[Neferon]] in the temple. Employed by Strahd, he initially tries to kill them with fire – however, he agrees to help the party after Nia falsely promises him artifacts from Castle Ravenloft. Shortly after they begin exploring the temple, Ezmerelda falls into a trance due to a passive effect from a cursed statue. Krue carries her as the party continues. On Neferon's advice, they speak to the lich [[Exethanter]]. After Skoll heals him and his memories, he provides the party with pertinent information: the temple houses vestiges of dead gods in sarcophagi, and those vestiges can confer dark powers, should someone choose to accept their terms. Strahd came to the temple seeking immortality; he communed with the vestiges and made a deal – and upon murdering his brother, he sealed the pact. Aiming to learn more about Strahd, Krue, Skoll, and Nia agree that it would be best to talk to the vestiges themselves. However, Krue quickly decides that conversing with vestiges of dead gods is out of her wheelhouse after speaking to Dahlver-ner, He of Many Teeth. Ezmerelda snaps out of her trance as Skoll and Nia converse with the various vestiges. Together, Skoll and Nia speak with: * Fekre, Queen of Poxes * Zrin-Hala, the Howling Storm * Sykane, the Soul Hungerer * Savnok, the Inscrutible * Tarakamedes, the Great Wyrm * Shami-Amourae, the Lady of Delights * Drizlash, the Nine-Eyed Spider * Dahlver-Nar, He of Many Teeth * Zantras, the Kingmaker * Delban, the Star of Ice and Hate * Khirad, the Star of Secrets * Yrrga, the Eye of Shadows * Great Taar Haak, the Five-Headed Destroyer * Yog, the Invincible * Norganas, the Finger of Oblivion * Vaund, the Evasive * Seriach, the Hell Hound Whisperer Despite Ezmerelda and Krue's concerns regarding the situation, Skoll and Nia decide to accept dark powers for themselves in order to be better equipped to take on Strahd. Skoll accepts the power offered by Zantras, granting him great presence and force of personality; in exchange, he can no longer take no for an answer. Nia accepts the power of Seriach, which grants her command over two hell hounds and the ability to speak infernal. She also falsely claims to have accepted Drizlash's gift – which offers the power of spider climbing – so that she can climb up walls without tipping her party off to her vampiric ancestry. After Skoll and Nia conclude speaking with most of the vestiges, the party sets up camp for the night in the temple. #### 10 Hammer 1491 After awaking in the Amber Temple, Krue, Skoll, Nia, and Ezmerelda are directed by Exethanter to the few remaining vestiges that they have yet to speak with: * The Vampyr, the Dark Gift of Immortality * Tenebrous, the Dark Gift of Lichdom * Zhudun, the Corpse Star The remaining vestiges are guarded by vampire spawn posted by Strahd; however, the party manages to sneak past them without a problem. The party learns from Exethanter that Strahd accepted all the dark powers offered in the temple. In an effort to protect his friends, Skoll accepts Zhundun's gift: the one-time ability to resurrect someone, regardless of when they died. With [[Selise]] in mind, Nia also considers taking this gift; but she ultimately decides against it after Skoll agrees to use the power for her purposes, should he fail to use it by the time the party manages to escape Barovia. In exchange for Zhundun's gift, Skoll's appearance changes to be reminiscent of a corpse. Later, he would learn to alter his appearance magically; in the meantime, however, he comes to possess one skeletal hand and a partially skeletonized face. This distresses Krue and Ezmerelda, but Krue manages to find comfort in the fact that Skoll's personality remains unchanged. The party avoids an encounter with Rahadin, who briefly visits the temple to pray for Strahd's release from Barovia. After looting the temple of its treasures, the party heads out. They are shortly attacked by a giant goat; Krue narrowly avoids being shoved off a cliff and manages to throw the goat down the mountainside. The party is crossing a large bridge at Tsolenka Pass when they are attacked by a roc. Krue sustains heavy damage, but the roc is eventually felled. After Krue is healed, the party continues toward the wizard tower. They come across a clearing full of sentient scarecrows and later a group of blights; however, Krue intimidates the scarecrows into staying put and the party sneaks past the blights without issue. Back at the wizard tower, Krue is healed further by Rictavio. With the rest of the group, they summarize what they learned at the Amber Temple: Strahd was chosen by the dark powers for his strength, ambition, and propensity for evilness. To lessen the power that the dark powers grant him, either Strahd's strength or evil needs to be undermined. The party agrees that undermining Strahd's evil is likely not an option. Krue also expresses the worry that the dark powers could intervene somehow, should they defeat Strahd. #### 11 Hammer 1491 Nia identifies the mirror that Ezmerelda took from Vallakovich's manor, discovering that an assassin's ghost resides within. The party considers sending the assassin after Rahadin – they figure it will be necessary to kill him before taking on Strahd so as to not end up outmatched. They ultimately decide against using the assassin's services, planning to kill the man themselves. Ezmerelda heads to Vallaki to check in on Ireena and to request holy water from Father Lucian. In the meantime, Krue, Skoll, and Nia travel to the Luna River Caravan to sell the treasure that they looted from the Amber Temple. There, the party tells Kasimir of their trip to the Amber Temple, as well as their plans to kill Rahadin. Kasimir requests that they kill Rahadin using his own knife. After they agree, he hands the knife over. Before departing the caravan, Krue buys 40 gallons of potent alcohol. Having discovered that one of the books that she took from the Amber Temple was a spellbook, Nia expresses a desire to return so that she can learn a few spells in time for the fight against Strahd. Skoll volunteers to go with, and the two make the trek to the temple while Krue heads back to the wizard tower. At the tower, Krue ropes Ezmerelda, Yesper, and Rictavio into a drinking contest which Ezmerelda ultimately wins. #### 12 Hammer 1491 In the morning, a hungover Krue travels to Vallaki to collect holy water from an exhausted Father Lucian, who worked through the night. Krue visits Ireena at the church as well before heading back to the wizard tower. Soon after Krue gets to the wizard tower, Skoll and Nia also arrive back from the Amber Temple, Nia having learned several new spell rituals. Along with Godfrey, the three make plans to kill Rahadin the following day. #### 13 Hammer 1491 Skoll, Nia, Krue, Godfrey, Ezmerelda, and Pidlwick leave for Castle Ravenloft. Upon their arrival, Ezmerelda takes position at the hill leading up to the castle while the others head inside. While exploring the castle, the party meets [[Lief]], Strahd's accountant. Lief denies their offer of rescue, having little faith that they will not be successful in their efforts to defeat Strahd. Still, he points the party in Rahadin's direction when asked. Skoll, Nia, Krue, and Godfrey encounter Rahadin in the same room where the skull of Argynvost was recovered. Although Rahadin is outnumbered and outmatched, he smiles throughout the duration of the fight – until Godfrey makes him grovel, at which point he becomes furious. Still, the four are easily able to incapacitate him, and Nia drives the blade of Kasimir's knife through his chest. Rahadin briefly holds onto life and taunts the party about Strahd. Godfrey silences him by striking him down with Vladimir's sword. They carry Rahadin's corpse outside, where Nia cuts off his head for future interrogation purposes; despite this, Nia never ends up pursuing this communication. The head is later discarded – in the meantime, the party buries the rest of the corpse, not wanting Strahd to be prematurely alerted of Rahadin's death. The party meets back up with Ezmerelda as she is facing off against a vampire spawn. After killing the spawn, they begin their return trip. On the way, Skoll, Nia, and Krue stop at the Luna River Caravan to inform Kasimir of Rahadin's death and to return his knife. Kasimir thanks them sincerely, and no one is bothered that he is unable to produce a reward for them. Back at the wizard tower, the party decides that they should gather their forces and finalize the plan to take on Strahd. Nia sends Yesper to the Keepers of the Feather and Mordenkainen with a message which instructs to meet at the tower the next day. #### 14 Hammer 1491 Krue, Skoll, Nia, Ezmerelda, Rictavio, and Godfrey awake for the day at the wizard tower. Throughout the morning, Yesper, Mordenkainen, and the Keepers of the Feather arrive. The group ultimately decides that they will be splitting into four teams in their final push to defeat Strahd. The first team – consisting of Krue, Skoll, Nia, Godfrey, and Ezmerelda – volunteers to seek out and take on Strahd directly, with Pidlwick escorting them through the castle. The second team – consisting of the Keepers Danika, Urwin, Yesper, Robi, and Sorina – plan to be positioned outside the castle, acting as relief and running interference. Consisting of Christopher and Rictavio's pet tiger, Ottavino, the third team will work to cause a distraction in the hallways. The final team consists of Rictavio and Mordenkainen; they will be posted in the crypts of the castle, awaiting Strahd's possible retreat with a wooden stake in hand. Having ironed out their plan, the party members check on one another before resting for the night. #### 15 Hammer 1491 Skoll, Nia, Krue, Godfrey, Ezmerelda, Pidlwick, Rictavio, Mordenkainen, Christopher, Ottavino, Danika, Urwin, Robi, Sorina, and Yesper leave the wizard tower in the morning. On the way to Castle Ravenloft, Skoll, Nia, and Krue briefly stop in Vallaki to visit the church. There, they pick up additional holy water from Father Lucian and inform Ireena of their plan. Although Ireena expresses high hopes, it is clear that they are all nervous. The party regroups at Ravenloft. Rictavio, Mordenkainen, and Urwin all address the group, speaking of confidence. After Robi gives his version of a battle cry, the group disperses into their designated teams. Krue, Skoll, Nia, Ezmerelda, Godfrey, and Pidlwick enter the castle through the front door. In the entryway, they easily defeat the wyrmling statues that animate and attack them. Pidlwick leads the group through the castle. Eventually, they are directed to Strahd's study, where they come face to face with the vampire. Skoll tells Strahd that he deserves to suffer; in retaliation, Strahd attacks. Strahd tries and fails to charm Krue. Throughout the fight, he focuses his attention mostly on Krue and Skoll – until Ezmerelda protects Skoll with a spell, at which point he focuses entirely on Krue. Strahd and Krue both sustain immense damage. At a critical moment, the sunsword moves Krue out of the way, saving her from death. Nia then hits Strahd with a psychic blade. Grievously wounded, he turns into mist and flees. Before pursuing Strahd, Nia recovers his journal – which is one of the treasures identified by Yva – from the study. Nia reads it aloud as they move through the castle, discovering that Strahd cannot be killed – only paralyzed – by a wooden stake; he can only be killed with the sunsword. The party tracks Strahd to a coffin in the crypts of the castle. Since Rictavio and Mordenkainen are nowhere to be found, they take matters into their own hands. Nia paralyzes Strahd with a stake through his heart. Krue hands the sunsword to Godfrey, who delivers the killing blow. The entirety of Castle Ravenloft shakes as Strahd dies. Eventually, the commotion stops – at which point Strahd looks relieved before disappearing, leaving only his armor behind. Vladimir's spirit arrives to collect Godrey's. For a moment, the castle is bathed in light. When the light fades, Godfrey and Vladimir are gone, and the stone of the castle has been colored white. They leave the castle to find the absence of rain and – for the first time since arriving in Barovia – the presence of sunlight unfiltered by clouds. Regrouping with their friends, they find out that an ambush by zombies had prevented Rictavio and Mordenkainen from making it into the crypts; the ambush had also cost Rictavio his arm. Greater than that was the cost to the Keepers, who lost two of their number to werewolves: Danika and Robi. Despite their losses, the group is glad for their success. They settle a little way down the road from the castle and take a moment to rest. It is at this time that the spirit of Sergei von Zarovich emerges from the sunsword, revealing the reason for the sword's sentience. Sergei thanks Krue for wielding him; he also expresses a desire to rest, but he asks to first speak with Ireena. After Krue agrees to take him to Ireena, his spirit goes inside the sword once more. After being convinced by Skoll, Nia takes the opportunity to nervously come clean about some secrets she's been hiding: her name is Countess Nia Skultrac, and she's a dhampir. If anyone is put off by Nia's revelation, they don't show it; Rictavio and Ezmerelda specifically assure Nia that she's proven herself more than enough. In an effort to help reassure Nia, Skoll reveals his own secret: he is the child of high-ranking nobility and ran away from home when he was younger. After being pushed by Skoll, Krue joins in, telling the group of her military desertion. After a while of rest, the group travels to Vallaki. There, Urwin, Yesper, and Sorina break from the group to go honor those they had lost. The party finds an overjoyed Ireena outside the church. She tells the party that memories of Tatyana's life have been coming to her; when Krue hands her the sunsword, she recognizes the spirit of the man who comes out of it. Sergei and Ireena speak for a while. Then, Ireena's appearance cycles through many instances of people who look very similar to her. As her appearance settles on her own once more, Tatyana's spirit emerges. After Sergei and Tatyana thank the party, their spirits embrace before fading into light. Ireena, Skoll, Nia, Krue, and Ezmerelda visit the two Vistani camps, checking in with Luvash, Magda, and Yva. During their meeting, Yva reveals that she is Strahd's sister. The group heads to Barovia village, finding Ismark being celebrated by the townsfolk. Having neglected to inform Ismark of any of their progress, the party has much to discuss with him. After they catch Ismark up on events, Ismark reveals that he fired the racist barkeep, Arik. They party checks in on Freek and Myrtle before resting for the night in Barovia village. #### 16 Hammer 1491 After awaking in Ismark's home, Skoll teaches Freek and Myrtle how to make scrambled eggs. Over breakfast, the party discusses the possibility of Barovia returning to its prior state. Krue suggests destroying all of the sarcophagi in the Amber Temple, citing their connection to the Dark Powers – however, her idea is rejected. Instead, they decide to try to lead as many people out of Barovia as possible. Ismark agrees to coordinate an evacuation with the Keepers and Wachter brothers in Vallaki, as well as with the Vistani. Later, Urwin agrees to reach out to his father at the winery to try to organize something with Krezk; he even speaks of reaching out to the druids and the werewolves of Barovia as well. Krue, Skoll, Nia, and Ezmerelda travel to Ravenloft to loot the castle. Once there, they release Lief, who they forgot about during the excitement of defeating Strahd the previous day. They comb through the castle for hours, obtaining wealth and numerous magical items in the process. During this time, they also meet [[Escher]], a vampire spawn and Strahd's ex-boyfriend. Escher does not begrudge the party for killing Strahd; he even gives them some of his jewelry before jumping out of a nearby window. Nia insists on looting the crypts of the castle despite Skoll's objections. Inside the crypts, the party stumbles across the crypt of Khazan. Nia communicates with his skeleton; they learn that he tried and failed to secure power from Strahd before he was offered a job by the vampire. In another crypt, Nia speaks with the skeleton of a self-proclaimed time traveler and takes his gun. Having amassed a wagon full of treasure, Krue calls for eight mountain goats to pull the wagon – but Skoll shows her up, summoning eight draft horses. Together, the horses and the goats lead the party back to the wizard tower. The group discusses their plans now that Strahd has been defeated. Mordenkainen expresses his intention to return to his travels; Urwin, Yesper, Sorina, and Christopher plan to help the evacuation and reorganization efforts. Meanwhile, Krue, Nia, Ireena, Pidlwick, Ezmerelda, and Rictavio plan to help Skoll find and reach Valentia so that he can return Vladimir's sword to Godfrey's requested resting place. #### 17 Hammer 1491 Mordenkainen has left by the time the others wake in the morning. Krue, Skoll, and Nia travel to the Amber Temple one final time so that Nia can study another spell. Exethanter expresses indifference when told of Strahd's death, which exacerbates the party's worries that Strahd will return or be replaced somehow. #### 18 Hammer 1491 With plans set, the party departs from Barovia. They find that the territory has emerged in the former [[Strait of Oman]] of the [[Moonshae Isles]], serving to connect the previously unconnected landmasses of [[Oman]] and [[Sarifal]]. They help Urwin and Ismark chart out a location for [[New Markovia]], the settlement for those who have left Barovia. New Markovia's borders are ultimately outlined to be within the [[Winterglen Forest]]. With that settled, Krue, Ezmerelda, Skoll, Nia, Ireena, Pidlwick, and Rictavio depart from the others. Heading south, they arrive in the fey-operated city of [[Karador]]. Using some of their near-endless wealth, they settle into a prominent local inn – the [[House of Autumn]] – deciding that it will be a good home base while they research Valentia. --- ## Page Tags/Properties **Tags:** #Timeline **Category:** [[Timelines.base|Timelines]] **Type:** Campaign **Campaign:** [[Curse of Strahd]]