"We don't know where you went. You were unresponsive and seemed to be having strange dreams. I'm glad you're back. Let's get moving."

"Yes, those were some good dreams!  I was just playing music mostly.  In front of people.  And they loved it."

"Hey, next time there is a creepy scarecrow on the side of the road with glowing eyes holding a plate of jelly donuts, I won't eat one.  That's a promise."

The party ventures away from the scarecrow with the empty picnic basket at its feet. They continue to travel down Old Svalich Road, toward the Village of Barovia. They still feel at ease as they progress the next mile and a half to reach the village. The sound of crows cawing, howls emitting from the woods, the cloud-filled sky with virtually no sunlight beaming through, and the chilly air breezing within the wind.

After their mile and a half journey, they finally reach the entrance to the village. The party enters the village from the east, as the Old Svalich Road leads them directly to the middle road of the village. The gravel road leads them into the village, its tall houses dark as tombstones. Nestled among these solemn dwellings are a handful of closed-up shops. Even the tavern is shut tight.

As the party reaches the first four-way split, a soft whimpering draws your eye toward a pair of children standing in the middle of an otherwise lifeless street. A young boy who appears to be seven years old, and a young girl that looks ten years old. The boy is weeping, clutching tightly onto a stuffed doll. The girl is trying to comfort the boy, wanting him to stop crying. After shushing the boy, the girl turns to the party and says, “There’s a monster in our house!” She then points to a tall brick row house that has seen better days. Its windows are dark. It has a gated portico on the ground floor, and the rusty gate is slightly ajar. The houses on either side are abandoned, their windows and doors boarded up.

Image of the two kids.

As they enter the town, Kestrell tells the group:

"Wow, it is quiet.  Too quiet!"

To the kids:

"Oh no!  What kind of monster is in your house?"

"Hey there. You know, you really shouldn't be out here by yourselves. Where are your parents...or anyone?"

Trogdor looks around, hoping to get a sign of where anyone else might be,

Perception : 20

Eldon walks forward, his eyes flashing a brilliant gold, as he draws his mace and shield, casting eyes of the grave to see if the monster in the house maybe the very devil they ran into "Don't worry children - we'll keep you safe."

OOC: Eyes of the Grave - At 1st level, you gain the ability to occasionally sense the presence of the undead, whose existence is an insult to the natural cycle of life. As an action, you can open your awareness to magically detect undead. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any undead within 60 feet of you that isn’t behind total cover and that isn’t protected from divination magic. This sense doesn’t tell you anything about a creature’s capabilities or identity.

Cinna kneels in front of the kids and tries to gain their trust. "Hello. I'm Cinna. Can you tell us what this monster looks like? Do you have parents?"

The boy has stopped crying, but he stares down at his feet. The girl replies "I don't know what the monster looks like. We haven't seen it. Mommy and Daddy kept it locked in the basement. We only heard its growls." She frowns and continues. "Our parents are dead, and our baby brother is still in the nursery. Our parents kept us locked in our bedroom to protect us from the monster. Will you please kill the monster and save our baby brother?"

Eldon gets the sense of death all around him, virtually from every direction. Meanwhile, Trogdor's peering around and seems to notice a shiny rock on the ground that catches his eyes. The children motion over to the entrance of the house, they're too scared to actually enter. The party notices that the wall of fog that brought them to Barovia is suddenly closing in on them from all directions.

Cinna quickly stands and takes a step backward. "I'm so sorry. How are you dead? Is there anything we can do?"

Kestrell casts Prestidigitation twice and creates two small balls, handing one to each of the children. 

"Here, these won't last long, but they are courage balls.  Hold them and when they are gone they will give you courage!"

Turning to Eldon, Kestrell asks: "Eldon, are there any dead around?"

Kestrell studies the house looking for other entrances besides the half open gated portcullis.

Perception: 4

The kids stay quiet as they stand in front of the house. They take the courage balls and stare back down. Kestrell doesn't notice any other entrances but is able to see that the wall of fog is closing in on them every second as if the fog is trying to usher them into the house.

"Alright, people.  We can do this!  Who's going in first?"

Eldon just grits his teeth "All around us is the presence of the undead. Be on guard friends."

He looks to the children "Well save your brother, don't worry." He just charges into the house his mace and shield drawn.

"That's how you do it!  Way to go Eldon!"

Kestrell provides Eldon with a little Bardic Inspiration:

"Hey Monster, Hey Monster, watch out for that Cleric! He's got a big mace, you won't be able to bear it!"

Kestrell lights a candle and follows Eldon into the house.  Candle and horn in one hand, Rapier in the other.

[OOC]: Eldon, you have 1d6 Bardic Inspiration, good for adding to an attack roll, ability check, or save in the next 10 minutes.

Image of the House 

OOC: What's everyone else doing?

Cinna follows them in.

Trogdor draws his longsword in one hand and his horn in the other. 

With a hearty roar he bellows, "Let's do this!!" and charges in behind Eldon

The party will notice the entrance to the house has a wrought-iron gate with hinges on one side and a lock on the other fills the archway of a stone portico. The gate is unlocked, and its rusty hinges shriek when the gate is opened. Oil lamps hang from the portico ceiling by chains, flanking a set of oaken doors that open into a grand foyer. Hanging on the south wall of the foyer is a shield emblazoned with a coat-of-arms (a stylized golden windmill on a red field), flanked by framed portraits of stony-faced aristocrats (long-dead members of the Durst family). Mahogany-framed double doors leading from the foyer to the main hall are set with panes of stained glass.

Upon entry to the house, the party will enter the main hall. A wide hall runs the width of the house, with a black marble fireplace at one end and a sweeping, red marble staircase at the other. Mounted on the wall above the fireplace is a rusty longsword with a windmill cameo worked into the hilt. The wood-paneled walls are ornately sculpted with images of vines, flowers, nymphs, and satyrs. The party members, those who have a Passive Perception of at least 12 (which seems to be everyone except the two Bards), will notice serpents and skulls inconspicuously woven into the wall designs. The decorative paneling follows the staircase as it circles upward to the second floor. A cloakroom has several black cloaks hanging from hooks on the walls. A top hat sits on a high shelf. Eldon's senses that the sense of undeath seems to be coming from upstairs, as it's faint on this floor.

Image of the First Floor

Kestrell looks around: "Nice place." Then he cocks his head, an inquisitive look on his face: "Listen!.................Do you smell something?"

(OOC) The cloakroom door is open?  How about the doors to the other rooms, open or closed?

 Eldon just looks at his party and silently points to the floor above them - unsure if a creature has heard them he decides to remain quiet as he ascends the stairs. His fist gripping tighter around the handle of his mace.

[OOC]: stealth Check: 12