30/09/2020 – Fortunes of Ravenloft (3)

Ghostly Mob

They see a large group of people is approaching them up the road. It is a mob of villagers, carrying torches and pitchforks. They have an unnatural white light to them and they are marching directly towards the survivors. They are making odd moaning noises, rather than the shouts and jeers that you would expect from an angry mob.

They assume the mob is not there for them, but the castle. The survivors move aside and allow the mob to pass them. It is noticeable that they are glowing in a supernatural way and slightly transparent. They are ghosts.

The ghosts march onto the castle drawbridge and each one of them then dies, making a horrible cry of terror, collapsing and disappearing.

The survivors are a little disturbed. They light torches and head down the road away from the castle and as they do, wolf howls echo around the mountain.

Down the Mountain

Juan says while wolf attack is unlikely, they should prepare themselves just in case. The road snakes round and round, taking its time to head down the mountain. The volume and frequency of the wolf howls increase.

When they reach a bend in the road with a steep cliff edge above them on side one, the survivors stop and wait to see if these wolves attack.

The former servant of Strahd pipes up that Strahd controls the wolves, they are his servants. Ruben says in which case, as they are on a mission for him, they should be safe.

They turn to proceed down the road, but are confronted by a line of five wolves blocking their path, with a human figure stood behind them, possibly wearing wolf fur. Juan tells them to stand aside, but they ignore him.

Wolf Attack

The wolves are quite big and the largest one steps forward towards them. He looks very dangerous and bears his teeth aggressively. Juan draws his pistol, prompting the large wolf suddenly leap directly for him. Juan was expecting this and jumps aside at the last minute, slashing the wolf with his sword as it passes him.

The other wolves lurch forward to support the large wolf. Ruben draws his cutlass, but his wolf stops his charge and Ruben swings but misses.

Enzo draws his shotgun and fires at the two charging him. Both of them are injured and the pain of the wound and the loud noise spooks both of them into turning tail and fleeing back down the road, to the human / wolf figure.

Another wolf jumps on the servant, biting into his arm and knocking him over. He screams for help. Enzo turns to help him.

Juan tries to shoot the wolf attacking him, but just misses when the wolf ducks its head at the right moment. The wolf then bites for him a, but Juan keeps it away with his sword.

The wolf Ruben is engaged with was stunned by the sound of Enzo’s gun and Ruben is able to cut its throat in a well-placed slash. It quickly bleeds out and dies.

Enzo gets into a fight with the wolf that was attacking the servant, but misses his swing and the wolf bites him in the leg. The servant tries to get a knife out, but the wolf steps on him and knocks it out of his hand due to bad luck.

Werewolf

Ruben sees that the human figure has dropped down and all fours and suddenly a large, grizzled wolf with red eyes is running at them. It will a minute or so for it to reach them, so he turns and attacks the wolf that Enzo is fighting. He hits the wolf from behind, allowing the servant to stab the wolf as well. Enzo misses.

Juan tries to feint his wolf into charging him, but the wolf sees through it and takes his left arm in its mouth and bites down. Juan draws his dagger and stabs the wolf in the head and kills it has he pushes deeper in.

Ruben sees the red-eyed wolf charging to jump on Juan’s back while he is engaged with his wolf. He draws his pistol and shoots it, but it suddenly rolls to the side and he misses. However, it is not able to jump on Juan.

Wolves Driven Off

Juan and Ruben now confront the red-eyed wolf, while Enzo and the servant finish off their wolf. Juan hits the wolf, but barely wounds it. Ruben misses. The wolf then leaps aggressively at Juan, who impales it on his sword, but the angry wolf still sinks its teeth into his leg. Juan shouts out in pain and twists his blade as he pulls it out of the wolf.

Ruben then hits it and it rolls to one side, rolling down a steep incline into some undergrowth. As it does, its face seem to take on a more human appearance before it disappears.

The fight is over and they rest and recover. Enzo treats Juan’s and his own wounds. Then they continue to proceed down the mountain road, with Juan limping with his wounded leg.

Injuries

When they reach the junction, Juan thinks they need to go right, but Ruben’s navigation instincts suggest they should go left. They have an argument and Juan’s pride makes it difficult to back down, but in the end, as his leg pain gets worse, he agrees to go left, though says Ruben must carry him if he is wrong.

They realise that the coach journey was at least an hour and it must be ten or more miles back to the village of Barovia. Juan is going to struggle to walk that far.

When they reach a bridge across a river, they see a water-fall on the right and the lights of a camp on their left, half a mile up the river bank. They decide to turn off and head for that camp, following what looks like a wagon trail.

Gypsy Camp

The camp is on the edge of a large lake and the multi-coloured caravans suggests that it is a Vistani camp. A number of them are singing and dancing around a central bonfire. They stop when they see the survivors approach.

Juan hails them and Ruben introduces them as the guests of Strahd, mentioning the name of one of the Vistani they spoke to in the Inn earlier today.

They are invited to sit in front of the fire and chat for a while, though their German is not great and communication is difficult. They are surprised to hear they were Strahd’s guests and returned from his castle safely.

Wizard's Failed Uprising

They tell them that last year, a wizard came to Barovia from outside and persuaded the people to rise up and march on the castle. There was a great mob of them, but they all died. Juan says they saw their ghosts earlier.

Juan asks who is in charge of the wolves and the Vistani tell of werewolves, men who are cursed to become wolves. They guide the wolves, but they are also supposed to be working for Strahd.

They also say that once long ago, Strahd’s life was saved by some Vistani. In return, he allows them the freedom to come and go from his lands.

Madam Eva

Someone comes from one of the big tents and tells them that Madam Eva wants to talk to them. They are invited into her tent. She wants to speak to the guests of Strahd, a rare occurrence.

They go into her tent and wait for her to see them. While they wait, the servant reveals he comes from Prussia and was a slave of Strahd for a number of years, he cannot remember how long.

When they meet Madam Eva, they realise she looks very similar to Madam Zelda they met down the mountain. Juan asks if she has a sister and she replies in French that yes, they have met her sister.

She shuffles tarot cards while she greets each of them by name and reveals that she knows something about each of their backgrounds. She has seen all of this in her mind. She knows why they are here, even though they do not.

The Dark Lord

They are here to do a mission for the Dark Lord of this land, who she is no servant of, although some of her friends and family are. She cautions them not to mention to everyone they are guests of the Devil Strahd. He is a tyrant, murderer and nosferatu, the undead. He has ruled for centuries.

She counsels them not to talk of him or mention his name, he knows when his name is spoken. He controls the destiny of men through the power of the Devil, who cursed him originally. He was a wicked and evil man during life, but also complicated.

Fortune Telling

The fortunes have told her of their coming and she has a link with her sister, though Zelda is a friend of the Dark Lord. She helped bring you here at his request.

In order to remove Strahd’s curse, they must defeat him, not using their arms but new and hidden weapons that lie in Barovia. Others came here not that long ago, but their leader died and they may now simply be lost, but they may be able to lead them.

Fortunes of Ravenloft

She has them touch the tarot cards, then she carries out a reading, drawing five cards and telling them what each reveals.

1. Elementalist - Five of Stars

This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy. The treasure is hidden in a small castle beneath a mountain, guarded by amber giants.

2. Abjurer - Four of Stars

This card will tell of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope. I see a fallen house, guarded by a great stone dragon. Look to the highest peak.

3. Enchanter - Three of Stars

This card is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance, a sword of sunlight. A kneeling woman – a rose of great beauty plucked too soon. The master of the marsh knows of whom I speak.

4. Wizard - Master of Stars

This card sheds light on the one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness. Your greatest ally will be a wizard. He lies high up in the mountains but he does not know himself.

5. Bishop – Eight of Glyphs

Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. This card will lead you to him. What you seek lies in a pile of treasure, beyond a set of amber doors. You must seek the Amber Temple.

Enemy of Strahd

Juan crosses her palm with 5 silver coins and thanks her for her help. She tells them she is not allowed to leave Barovia because she is an enemy of Strahd and now she has helped them, her life is in danger. She bids them to leave.

They head back outside and the Vistani outside agree to take them back to Barovia in a caravan for ten silver coins. They follow the river, which is a short-cut back to the village.

During the journey, the Vistani ask what Madam Eva told them, but Ruben says they are unable to say, which they accept.

When they reach Barovia, it is late and they knock up the Inn Keeper again to let them in, much to his annoyance.

End of Episode Three