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Lenora's Journal for Our Phandelver Campaign Transition into Curse of Strahd
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<blockquote data-quote="Rhenny" data-source="post: 7274286" data-attributes="member: 18333"><p>24 – Looking for Vistani and Esmeralda – Yut Goes Off the Deep End</p><p></p><p>Before setting off for Vallaki like Ireena suggested, we decided to check in on Ireena to ask some more questions. When we got to her door, Brigby studied the runes more carefully, and we knocked. Ismark answered and told us that Ireena was resting. Yut got a little hot and demanded to see Ireena, but we decided that we could ask Ismark the same questions so it wasn’t necessary to disturb Ireena.</p><p></p><p>Ismark told us a lot. He mentioned that he wanted to end Strahd’s dominion, but at this point, he nor us were powerful enough to do that. He spoke about a legendary blade of the sun that Esmeralda would probably know about. With that blade, it would be easier to dispatch “the devil.” We formed an alliance with him and told him that when we found the blade and we were ready to take on Strahd, we’d join forces. When we asked him about our friend, Syvrena, he mentioned that he might not kill her, but he would torment her, as he tormented his beloved sister. He also told us about the windmill, the Bonegrinder, where the hags lived when we mentioned Morgantha. During our conversation, Brigby noticed that Ismark was wearing a holy symbol of an ancient religion, one that was known even back where we came from. He also asked more about the runes they had inscribed on the window boards. Aided by information, we set out toward Vallaki.</p><p></p><p>Before leaving, we stopped at Bill Drath’s Mercantile. Brigby and Yut did the shopping buying us warm cloaks and boots, a hooded lantern and some oil. Then we set out on our journey. As we neared the town gate, three women approached us. They told us that they had heard of us and that we should certainly seek their kind, the Vistani, in particular, Esmeralda. Alenka, Mirabell and Sorvia told us to go to the Tser Pool on our travel towards Vallaki to find other Vistani. Their bright and hopeful attitudes contrasted greatly with the other town folk, who all seemed drab and dour. They gave us directions and bid us luck.</p><p></p><p>On the road, we made good time, and although the sun never shone through, we felt a little less dreary until Yut saw something in the woods. I looked as well and saw boots in the grass. Yut went to check it out so we followed. It was a dead man, whose throat had been torn out. He carried a letter that glinted in the dim light. I took the letter, opened it and read. It was another missive from Koylan, the Burgomaster. Evidently he was looking for help against a great and powerful vampire, “the devil,” from others not just us. This letter at least confirmed that Strahd was a powerful vampire, and although that knowledge chilled our blood, it also helped us understand more about our enemy.</p><p></p><p>After a few more hours, we came to a fork, north to Vallaki…west to Ravenloft. At the fork we a saw an empty gallows, rope swinging in the wind. Right after we turned north to continue, we heard a noise behind us. When we looked back, there was a ghostly body swinging from the noose. Yut walked up to it and seemed pale as a ghost himself. We closed the distance towards him and just as he tried to touch the body, Brigby commanded him to stop. For a few seconds, Yut complied, but then he grabbed for the body again. Brigby and I tried to hold him back, but he slipped from our grasp. As soon as Yut grabbed the body, he fell to the ground, unconscious, and the body disappeared. We tried to get Yut up, but he was out. Brigby hoisted Yut over his shoulder and we walked north. After an hour, Yut regained consciousness, but he could not remember anything beyond when we met the three Vistani. Yut told us that he dreamed of a dark emerald that would fit into his gnarled staff. We were getting suspicious that his mind and perhaps his soul were becoming compromised, but we continued our journey.</p><p></p><p>Before nightfall we found the Tser Pool and a camp of Vistani. They were singing, drinking and dancing and pulled us in to join them. The mirth of the camp did bring some smiles to our faces and gave us an unexpected pleasant few hours. One of the Vistani shared a story of a wizard who tried to rally forces against Strahd about a year ago, but he and the force he gathered were no match for “the devil.” Strahd took the wizard and threw him down from the cliffs of Ravenloft down 1000’ into the river. The Vistani saw it happen and went down to check what had happened to the wizard, but the river had taken the wizard away, most likely shattered and lifeless.</p><p></p><p>After that, we met with an old Vistani woman, Madame Eva. She told our fortunes using Taroka cards. Here were here cryptic messages:</p><p></p><p>1)Druid (History)– Evil tree a top a hill of graves – the Ravens can help. After asking around later we learned that this may be Yesterhill, an area others had heard of, but they didn’t know exactly where it was.</p><p></p><p>2)Priest (Protection)– Glyphs – Castle amid ruins of a place of supplication. After asking around we found that this might be Arginvastenhalt a fortress of old once home of a silver dragon. It may lie in the hills to the west.</p><p></p><p>3)Necromancer (Power/Strength) – Here is the weapon of the sun, a woman hanging atop a roaring fire. We learned nothing more about this, but we believe the weapon is the one that Ismark told us about, the blade of the sun.</p><p></p><p>4)Mists (Help in the battle against Strahd) – The Queen of Spades is the Vistani who searches for her mentor – the Abby of St. Markovia. This most likely was a reference to Esmeralda, unfortunately we could not learn where St. Markovia was at this point.</p><p></p><p>5)Ghost (Enemy) – King of Hearts – mourns the passing of his father at a tomb.</p><p></p><p>Yut asked about his staff and the old woman had him draw another card, an Artifact card. She said either Yut would control the item or he’d end up an experiment in another’s workshop. This was strange since I had already identified the item as mundane, but this place is strange.</p><p></p><p>We spent the night with the Vistani, and in the morning, we set off to the north west. Bynn was nursing a hangover, but the rest of us felt better than we had in a while. The Vistani cheered our hearts, but that didn’t last. Soon we arrived at another bridge crossing the river and we saw the body of a 10 year old girl, who also seemed to be ravaged by wolves. We took some time to bury her body in a makeshift cairn of rocks, and Brigby said a prayer. Then we continued our journey north.</p><p></p><p>We met another roving band of Vistani, but they seemed more drunk than helpful. At another fork in the road we went Northwest, rather than due east. As evening was approaching we found a windmill on the edge of a cliff. We walked up to the door and saw a raven up on the ledge of one window. We knew that this was the Bonegrider, so we stopped and considered our options. We were afraid to encounter the hags, minions of Strahd, because we thought that an interaction with them might alert “the devil,” but we also felt bad that children from Barovia might be in danger or held captive within. As we were deciding, the raven screeched and it sounded like it was telling us to leave. Then it took to the air, circled and flew north. Torn, we decided to follow it.</p><p></p><p>Following the raven brought us to an empty cave that would serve well for a night’s rest. We inspected it and prepared for our rest. That night, Yut woke me up again and he told me we had to wake the others. He saw a gem and he was going to get it. I walked outside and looked around. About 50’ from the cave I saw a skeletal warhorse with a rider. I ran back inside and tried to get Yut to ignore it. He wouldn’t. He woke everyone up and then ran outside. As the others got their things together and Brigby lit the lantern, I looked out to see Yut run south after the warhorse. </p><p></p><p>Eventually, we found Yut and he did have a large dark gem. He said that Strahd spoke to him. Offered him a ride to his castle in a coach that he’d send. Strahd just wanted to talk. We were quite unnerved by this. We got Yut to come back to the cave and then I tried to identify the gem. I felt wracking pain and I blacked out. Brigby tended to me and used a lesser restoration to get me back up. I could not remember anything and I felt weak, unstable.</p><p></p><p>I went for a walk to clear my head as Bynn accompanied me. Then I used my message spell to communicate with Brigby. I told him we have to go back to the Bonegrinder hill, take the staff and gem and throw it off the cliff. Brigby helped me form a plan. When I got back inside, I told the others that we needed to go back to fight the hags. We could not live knowing that we could have helped children from Barovia avoid a horrible fate. Then, I tried to detect magic on the gem and staff. Again, I blacked out. This time for longer. Eventually I woke up and Brigby told me what had transpired.</p><p></p><p>After I passed out, Brigby and Bynn, who had assumed his dire wolf form, both lunged at Yut. Brigby tried to hold the monk while the wolf tried to grab hold of the staff. The monk avoided Brigby, but the wolf’s jaws clamped down on the gnarled wood of the staff. Yut and Bynn struggled. Brigby even called forth a thunderwave to try to knock Yut back and take the staff, but the monk was able to avoid the brunt of the spell. After a tussle where Yut got wounded even more, Yut was able to pull away and run. </p><p></p><p>Bynn and Brigby pursued him as Bynn turned back into his Half-Elven form to cast an entangle spell. The spell stopped Yut for a little while, but not for long. The chase and attempt to knock out Yut continued. Brigby tried to hold and command the monk, but nothing worked. Yut was nearly down, but he eluded capture and finally disappeared into the night. </p><p></p><p>Brigby and Bynn returned to the cave to take care of me, but we had lost Yut, and were feeling as if our chances of surviving in this strange place were fading.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rhenny, post: 7274286, member: 18333"] 24 – Looking for Vistani and Esmeralda – Yut Goes Off the Deep End Before setting off for Vallaki like Ireena suggested, we decided to check in on Ireena to ask some more questions. When we got to her door, Brigby studied the runes more carefully, and we knocked. Ismark answered and told us that Ireena was resting. Yut got a little hot and demanded to see Ireena, but we decided that we could ask Ismark the same questions so it wasn’t necessary to disturb Ireena. Ismark told us a lot. He mentioned that he wanted to end Strahd’s dominion, but at this point, he nor us were powerful enough to do that. He spoke about a legendary blade of the sun that Esmeralda would probably know about. With that blade, it would be easier to dispatch “the devil.” We formed an alliance with him and told him that when we found the blade and we were ready to take on Strahd, we’d join forces. When we asked him about our friend, Syvrena, he mentioned that he might not kill her, but he would torment her, as he tormented his beloved sister. He also told us about the windmill, the Bonegrinder, where the hags lived when we mentioned Morgantha. During our conversation, Brigby noticed that Ismark was wearing a holy symbol of an ancient religion, one that was known even back where we came from. He also asked more about the runes they had inscribed on the window boards. Aided by information, we set out toward Vallaki. Before leaving, we stopped at Bill Drath’s Mercantile. Brigby and Yut did the shopping buying us warm cloaks and boots, a hooded lantern and some oil. Then we set out on our journey. As we neared the town gate, three women approached us. They told us that they had heard of us and that we should certainly seek their kind, the Vistani, in particular, Esmeralda. Alenka, Mirabell and Sorvia told us to go to the Tser Pool on our travel towards Vallaki to find other Vistani. Their bright and hopeful attitudes contrasted greatly with the other town folk, who all seemed drab and dour. They gave us directions and bid us luck. On the road, we made good time, and although the sun never shone through, we felt a little less dreary until Yut saw something in the woods. I looked as well and saw boots in the grass. Yut went to check it out so we followed. It was a dead man, whose throat had been torn out. He carried a letter that glinted in the dim light. I took the letter, opened it and read. It was another missive from Koylan, the Burgomaster. Evidently he was looking for help against a great and powerful vampire, “the devil,” from others not just us. This letter at least confirmed that Strahd was a powerful vampire, and although that knowledge chilled our blood, it also helped us understand more about our enemy. After a few more hours, we came to a fork, north to Vallaki…west to Ravenloft. At the fork we a saw an empty gallows, rope swinging in the wind. Right after we turned north to continue, we heard a noise behind us. When we looked back, there was a ghostly body swinging from the noose. Yut walked up to it and seemed pale as a ghost himself. We closed the distance towards him and just as he tried to touch the body, Brigby commanded him to stop. For a few seconds, Yut complied, but then he grabbed for the body again. Brigby and I tried to hold him back, but he slipped from our grasp. As soon as Yut grabbed the body, he fell to the ground, unconscious, and the body disappeared. We tried to get Yut up, but he was out. Brigby hoisted Yut over his shoulder and we walked north. After an hour, Yut regained consciousness, but he could not remember anything beyond when we met the three Vistani. Yut told us that he dreamed of a dark emerald that would fit into his gnarled staff. We were getting suspicious that his mind and perhaps his soul were becoming compromised, but we continued our journey. Before nightfall we found the Tser Pool and a camp of Vistani. They were singing, drinking and dancing and pulled us in to join them. The mirth of the camp did bring some smiles to our faces and gave us an unexpected pleasant few hours. One of the Vistani shared a story of a wizard who tried to rally forces against Strahd about a year ago, but he and the force he gathered were no match for “the devil.” Strahd took the wizard and threw him down from the cliffs of Ravenloft down 1000’ into the river. The Vistani saw it happen and went down to check what had happened to the wizard, but the river had taken the wizard away, most likely shattered and lifeless. After that, we met with an old Vistani woman, Madame Eva. She told our fortunes using Taroka cards. Here were here cryptic messages: 1)Druid (History)– Evil tree a top a hill of graves – the Ravens can help. After asking around later we learned that this may be Yesterhill, an area others had heard of, but they didn’t know exactly where it was. 2)Priest (Protection)– Glyphs – Castle amid ruins of a place of supplication. After asking around we found that this might be Arginvastenhalt a fortress of old once home of a silver dragon. It may lie in the hills to the west. 3)Necromancer (Power/Strength) – Here is the weapon of the sun, a woman hanging atop a roaring fire. We learned nothing more about this, but we believe the weapon is the one that Ismark told us about, the blade of the sun. 4)Mists (Help in the battle against Strahd) – The Queen of Spades is the Vistani who searches for her mentor – the Abby of St. Markovia. This most likely was a reference to Esmeralda, unfortunately we could not learn where St. Markovia was at this point. 5)Ghost (Enemy) – King of Hearts – mourns the passing of his father at a tomb. Yut asked about his staff and the old woman had him draw another card, an Artifact card. She said either Yut would control the item or he’d end up an experiment in another’s workshop. This was strange since I had already identified the item as mundane, but this place is strange. We spent the night with the Vistani, and in the morning, we set off to the north west. Bynn was nursing a hangover, but the rest of us felt better than we had in a while. The Vistani cheered our hearts, but that didn’t last. Soon we arrived at another bridge crossing the river and we saw the body of a 10 year old girl, who also seemed to be ravaged by wolves. We took some time to bury her body in a makeshift cairn of rocks, and Brigby said a prayer. Then we continued our journey north. We met another roving band of Vistani, but they seemed more drunk than helpful. At another fork in the road we went Northwest, rather than due east. As evening was approaching we found a windmill on the edge of a cliff. We walked up to the door and saw a raven up on the ledge of one window. We knew that this was the Bonegrider, so we stopped and considered our options. We were afraid to encounter the hags, minions of Strahd, because we thought that an interaction with them might alert “the devil,” but we also felt bad that children from Barovia might be in danger or held captive within. As we were deciding, the raven screeched and it sounded like it was telling us to leave. Then it took to the air, circled and flew north. Torn, we decided to follow it. Following the raven brought us to an empty cave that would serve well for a night’s rest. We inspected it and prepared for our rest. That night, Yut woke me up again and he told me we had to wake the others. He saw a gem and he was going to get it. I walked outside and looked around. About 50’ from the cave I saw a skeletal warhorse with a rider. I ran back inside and tried to get Yut to ignore it. He wouldn’t. He woke everyone up and then ran outside. As the others got their things together and Brigby lit the lantern, I looked out to see Yut run south after the warhorse. Eventually, we found Yut and he did have a large dark gem. He said that Strahd spoke to him. Offered him a ride to his castle in a coach that he’d send. Strahd just wanted to talk. We were quite unnerved by this. We got Yut to come back to the cave and then I tried to identify the gem. I felt wracking pain and I blacked out. Brigby tended to me and used a lesser restoration to get me back up. I could not remember anything and I felt weak, unstable. I went for a walk to clear my head as Bynn accompanied me. Then I used my message spell to communicate with Brigby. I told him we have to go back to the Bonegrinder hill, take the staff and gem and throw it off the cliff. Brigby helped me form a plan. When I got back inside, I told the others that we needed to go back to fight the hags. We could not live knowing that we could have helped children from Barovia avoid a horrible fate. Then, I tried to detect magic on the gem and staff. Again, I blacked out. This time for longer. Eventually I woke up and Brigby told me what had transpired. After I passed out, Brigby and Bynn, who had assumed his dire wolf form, both lunged at Yut. Brigby tried to hold the monk while the wolf tried to grab hold of the staff. The monk avoided Brigby, but the wolf’s jaws clamped down on the gnarled wood of the staff. Yut and Bynn struggled. Brigby even called forth a thunderwave to try to knock Yut back and take the staff, but the monk was able to avoid the brunt of the spell. After a tussle where Yut got wounded even more, Yut was able to pull away and run. Bynn and Brigby pursued him as Bynn turned back into his Half-Elven form to cast an entangle spell. The spell stopped Yut for a little while, but not for long. The chase and attempt to knock out Yut continued. Brigby tried to hold and command the monk, but nothing worked. Yut was nearly down, but he eluded capture and finally disappeared into the night. Brigby and Bynn returned to the cave to take care of me, but we had lost Yut, and were feeling as if our chances of surviving in this strange place were fading. [/QUOTE]
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