Sunny Barovia

4/22/25 Day 42 – Late afternoon, early evening Wolfram’s reasonable attempts to negotiate had clearly irritated the Devil, and the vile dread lord of Barovia had impatiently attacked us, ordering his followers to do so as well. The swell of pride at Wolfram’s boldness, and my own readiness and enthusiasm to finally take the fight directly to Strahd, was quickly quashed by the realities of… taking the fight directly to Strahd. Especially since it appeared he had assembled nearly every damn villain of note in Barovia here to fight us. We had done some damage, but we had taken some as well. Carl had gone down quickly. I had brought him back, but he wasn’t looking good. Laz was weaving through the fight, moving with that unnatural grace that was similar to, but not quite the equivalent of, the Devil’s Chamberlain. Sir Wolfram was injured and clearly the target of many of the creatures and beings that had been drawn here. The Amulet of the Raven blazed upon his chest, bringing lig...

  4/15/25 Day 42 – Late afternoon, early evening “I’m sorry Julianna.   I couldn’t get to him.   I failed.” “Shh.   Don’t talk like that,” she said.   Darkness gave way to a soft glow.   Julianna’s face.   Darkness everywhere but her face.   “You accomplished much.   But your work isn’t done.” “Not done, but…how?   What do you mean?” I asked. “You’re not done.   Don’t quit now.   I need you to get up.” Her voice became firmer, more resolute.   “I need you to get up.   You’re not done.” Her face began to shift and change.   The darkness around me started to fade. “Get up, my friend.   I’m not ready to lose you too.”   Julianna was gone.   Lady Ireena was down, speaking over my body.   I groaned as I came to my senses, a battle raging around me.   Why was I alive?   Lady Ireena must have healed me.   Why? Foolish girl.   She should have used her energy t...

  4/8/25 Day 42 – Late afternoon, early evening “The games have come to an end,” Strahd declares. “Lady Tatyana, you and your followers have stolen my power over the land. Yet I may still forgive this theft when you are my bride.” Lady Irena rises from where she knelt and turns to look at Strahd, an expression of pure rage upon her tear-streaked face. To us he said, “You will lay down your weapons and surrender yourselves to me. If you do so at once, you will be welcome as a guest at our wedding. If you do not, those who survive will attend in chains.” While we might be able to take out one, maybe two of Strahd’s minions, there was no way we could defeat them all together.   I drew my dagger and dropped it to the ground.   I then turned my head to Lady Ireena and said, “Where there’s life, there is hope.   The time to fight might not be now.” Wolfram lightly touched the pendant at his neck and almost imperceptibly shook his head.   I interpreted this...

4/8/25  The six runes and connecting threads of light thrum with energy. Each rune grows brighter, glowing stronger and more vibrant until everything within the circle of menhirs is illuminated in an eerie fey light. Those undead that remain wither in this light, frozen in place, their features and forms contorting in agony. As the runes brighten, cerulean veins stream out to run from the runes to Arabelle, bathing her in the same light. Even as she absorbs this power, glowing brighter than than the runes, or the streams, she extends the arcane tools she wields back towards the loamy soil at the center of the circle. Revealed there is a dark, crimson vein, as wide as a tree trunk and crackling with malignant black sparks. It draws from the earth, pulsing, feeding. It runs straight up from the center of the circle into the air before arcing away northeast to vanish beyond the shadowy barrier surrounding the fane. As the dark vein pulses with malevolent intent, you sense from its opp...

  4/1/25 Day 42 – Late afternoon, early evening They just didn’t. Stop. Coming.  We’d put one undead down and two more would join the fight. We were all hurting.   I can’t speak for the others, but I know I was one solid hit away from not getting up again. Lady Ireena was as beaten and bloodied as the rest of us, but I watched her take in the battlefield and how injured we all were.   She reached into her pouch, pulled out a scroll and started reading from it.   A pulse of golden light spread throughout the circle.   I felt the warmth of the light and found new strength.   My wounds stopped bleeding, and some even started to close.   All of us who had been touched by that light took some healing.   We were far from being out of the woods, but this brought us back a little bit. Three more wraiths appeared.   I ducked a blow from one while another attacked Oloch.   Its claws were turned by Oloch’s armor.   The third one...