Sunny Barovia

1/27/25 Day 41 –Evening We trudged back to the winery as the day was beginning to fade.  Once inside, Dacso and Wolfram set about determining the best way to secure the building.  Laz went out scouting while Lady Ireena and I began putting together a meal. By the time dinner was ready, Oloch, Dacso and Wolfram had managed to secure or barricade most of the doors in case something came by in the night. As we ate, I asked Lady Ireena about the tattoo she had acquired as a result of the ceremony.  I call it a tattoo, but it was more detailed and realistic than any tattoo I had ever seen before.  She said she didn’t know much about it, or what it meant.  However, she had received a similar marking of a wolf on her forearm after the first Fane had been re-consecrated.  I didn’t realize that had occurred, but now it made sense why Baroness Wachter suddenly wanted to see everyone’s forearms. (See session 94). We started to discuss tomorrow’s plans, but a...

 2/27/24 On the morning of our 35 th day in this land (Has it only been just over a month?!?) I woke to find the staff had prepared an unusually large and hearty breakfast.   I asked what the occasion was, and was told that since we were travelling today, Lady Ireena thought we should have a good meal to start.   I was also told that Lady Ireena and Walter had left early in the morning to conclude an errand, but would be returning soon. I enjoyed the repast, but perhaps not as much as Oloch, who attacked the meal with great gusto, calling for more breakfast wine.   As we finished up, I heard a noise in front of the Manse.   I continued sipping on my tea while I went to check on it. A caravan of about 10 Vistani wagons had pulled up.   Walter was sitting with Luvash and Arrabel on the lead wagon, while Lady Ireena was just approaching the front door.   She told us to gather our things as the Vistani were going to escort us to the gates east of ...

 2/6/24 Things went very, very quickly after that. Everyone was fighting.   The vampires shrieked in pain, presumably from the sunlight flooding the crypt.    That's going to leave a mark I remember seeing Walter struggling with the vampire on top of him while the spectral Ireenas hacked and slashed around them.  I managed to cast Slow on several of the vampires, but the success was short lived.  I was already lightheaded, when I felt something hit me.  Then everything went black. I don’t know how long I was out, but I came to with Walter standing over me saying, “You’re going to be OK, Mr. Carl.   But we need you!   Come on, we need you!” I slowly got up and saw the fight had moved to the outside.   Dasco was calmly wiping the tip of his Bloodspear as he moved for the door.   I followed him outside. The warriors were engaged with the fleeing vampires.   Laz yelled, “Watch the tower!” At that moment, movement near the...

 1/30/24 After dispatching the specters, we took a short rest in one of the empty bedrooms to gather ourselves.   Sundown was in about an hour, so rather than rush back to town we decided we’d explore the last of the grounds, then overnight here. On the second level, we headed for the yet unexplored eastern wing.   There were two doors which (we later discovered) led to a balcony area which oversaw the cathedral / altar below.    In the center of this balcony was another thronelike chair, it’s back towards us. Wolfram was first through with Oloch and Dasco close by.   Laz and I observed from the other door. Another armored skeleton was seated on the throne, unmoving.   Wolfram must have recognized or sensed something about it, because he moved to the front and greeted it directly.   The creature turned its head and the two appeared to exchange greetings.   (I was too far away to hear what was being said). Apparently, Wolfram recogni...

 1/23/24 We now found ourselves on the second floor in a room on the North East corner of the building. There was a large painting on the wall, but it had been slashed and was hanging down, drooping to the floor.   I lifted a corer of the canvas, but couldn’t make out what the subject of the painting was.   Laz took the painting and frame off the wall and onto the floor so we could lay the canvas out.   When he did so, we saw it was a landscape showing the castle, apparently in it’s heyday.   In the painting, the castle was whole and resplendent.   What was notable was that the tower had been depicted as emiting some sort of glow. As we pondered that, Dasco pointed at the damage to the canvas and asked, “Are you guys seeing this?” The slash that had rendered the painting nearly in two was mending itself. Within seconds, the slash was gone and the painting made whole.   When it was, a blinding light flashed from the painted tower.   Our eyes ...

1/2/24 The visceral terror that spontaneously erupts upon first seeing a giant spider was forced aside as we lost ourselves in the discipline of combat.   Blades, arrows and arcane energy dug deep into the advancing arachnids, until one wounded survivor scuttled back over the broken edge of the floor, returnig to it’s lair below.   None of us received more than minor wounds. We caught our breath, and it was noted that the rapidity at which the spiders had appeared meant that Laz really hadn’t had a chance to search the room, and perhaps we should try again. Laz himself agreed, and gave his full moral support to whoever decided to go do that.   He’d be waiting back here in the hall to congratulate whoever returned. Wolfram and Dasco elected to go in.   We roped off Wolfram, but Dasco declined any such safety line.   They emerged a few minutes later, indicating there was nothing of value in the remains of that room. We went to the other (presumably) bedroo...