Cerio & Dormark - You hear a frustrated shriek in your mind as Dallid brings you back to consciousness. The mood in the winery is quite sombre as you open your eyes to the devastation wrought by the druid. You get a sense that whomever, or whatever, attempted to contact you as you lay unconscious has gone. However, you are unsure as to the state the rest of the winery is in... or whether more enemies yet lurk in the shadows.
"I wouldn't be a man of faith if I change that easily... I would be a hypocrite," says Dormark before he was pull back from the brink. Looking round Dormark stands up and says, "Is everyone alright? What happen to the enemy?"
'Twas a curious thing to just float about. Not that Sandu had much experience with floating. Or leaving the ground entirely, let alone without a corporeal body. The feeling of flight was also new. It was not so much that Sandu moved as that he willed himself to go into a direction and just did so. It was a form of freedom Sandu was not entirely sure he was enjoying but at the very least he admitted it was better than getting stabbed and slashed by overgrown weeds.
It did provide him with a different problem. He was not sure how he pulled off the transformation from regular human to cloud of mist so Sandu had no idea how to reverse it. A cause for distress to be sure. Unsure of how to proceed exactly made Sandu gently float through the door and upwards to where the ravens had perched before.
"We are not done here." Dadeveth reminds the group. "Let us clear this place of any other dangers, before we get ambushed by something else." She moves to look through any doors or passages that lead further into the building.
Cerio jerks upright, clawing at the air. He rubs his face, blinking. He climbs slowly to his feet, placing a hand on the wall to steady himself. He retrieves his bow and slings it over a shoulder, looking around. He coughs to clear his throat. "Anything valuable on the body? And, say, ain't it time fer some wine? I'm parched!"
Perception to look around for valuables and/or wine: 14
Looking around the fermentation vats, you find that the easternmost cask has been split at the back, creating a 6-inch-wide, 6-foot-high opening. Twigs and other foliage can be found inside the cask, as well as scratch marks around the gap.
The other three casks are filled to the brim with wine.
Body
The stench coming from the druid's mangled body is putrid. Aside from the ragged animal-skin furs, you find a rather gruesome necklace of what appear to be human teeth. Something else hangs from the necklace... you didn't see it at first on account of it being tucked under the druid's rags - a small locket.
Spotting the only real thing of value, you reach out and take the locket. The sound of rushing water fills your ears or, just maybe, it could be the sound of blustering wind. A young lady's voice enters your mind then, it is muffled and sounds distant. "Mutti?" There is a sobbing sound. "Mutti? Where are you?" Silence, the blowing sound stops and the voice has gone.
Moving quickly from room to room, the party checks the rest of the winery's ground floor. Thankfully, no further hostiles can be found. The room next to the veranda contains rows of new barrels as well as a narrow stone staircase spiralling upwards in the southwest corner; undoubtedly useful should any wish to transport any of the wine back to Krezk!
The room to the east of the barrel storage is the barrel maker's workshop; strips of iron and wood lie in neat piles on the floor, and the walls are lined with all manner of tools. Two worktables stand against the east wall.
To the west, near the western entrance, stands a small storage room. Bare hooks line the walls and shelves to the south hold several pairs of stained wooden sandals with oversized soles.
The southmost room is the glassblower's workshop. A dirty window in the south wall allows dim light to enter this room. It is clear that wine bottles are manufactured here, as evidenced by the tools lying about, the wooden rack is full of freshly blown glass bottles. Near the entrance to the winery, a set of stairs lead downwards toward a cellar.
All - You hear a commotion coming from the cellar. Whoever is down there is not being subtle, loud voices can be heard, as well as the crashing of glass on stone.
Dadivith prances in place as her eyes take in the stairs downward. "We best get down there before they destroy all of the wine..." She looks to her companions. "I know some of you wanted a drink after that last battle, but it seems like the druid's allies are trying to keep that from happening." She will not be the first down those stairs, but she is ready to head down when the others do.
Galqarin - You sneak down the stairs towards the voices, thick moss covers the walls as you descend. The cellar is cool and the smell of damp and mould permeates the dank, confined area. Lights flicker casting dancing shadows on the walls.
Moving closer still, you look into the main area of the wine cellar. Old, partially rotten wooden pillars and beams, slick with damp, support the ten-foot-high ceiling of the cellar, which is split in two by a five-foot-thick brick wall. A thin mist swirls around the floor. Each half of the cellar features an eight-foot tall wooden partition that doubles as a wine rack. The western rack stands empty, but the eastern one is half filled with wine bottles.
Something moves behind the eastern wine rack, directly in front of you. Through the mist, you glimpse a figure standing tall; he wears a mask sporting thick grooves and blood-smeared, a cowl and furs obscure the rest of his features, from the top of the cowl thick twigs poke through, creating a crown of sorts.
((The Cowled Figure))
"Keep at it,"the figure hisses, his voice cruel and full of malice. "Our misstressss demandsss that you dessstroy all the wine here. The foolsss mussst be on their way now. Only the wine in the vatsss above sssshould remain. Underssstand?"
It is then that you see figures crawling through the mist, numbering three. One of the figures stands, a sorrowful creature, her face appears frozen in a state of deep, unrelenting sadness. "Why? Why bother, what is this life!"she yells at the cowled man. "If I had known, if I had understood the manner of the deal I was making... I... I..." The woman lets out a moan filled with equal parts sorrow and anger.
((One of the three figures crawling through the mist))
Another of the crawling figures, this time a young man with a similar look on his face, his skin as equally pallid as the woman's. "I had my whole life ahead of me. I was due to be wed! Now I am little more than a spectre... a ghoul set to spend all his days in servitude to a cruel mistress."
"Ssssilence!" the cowled figure hisses. "You shall obey, for obey you mussst! Asss iss the nature of my missstressesss bargain. You will be sssilent from thisss point on, elssse you sshal know true pain!"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
The ravens were gone. With the losses they suffered Sandu could not fault them. He did find it rather peculiar for the birds to exhibit such agressive behaviour. One would think they would fly away at the first sign of trouble but here the birds had gone on the offensive with an aggression unbecoming of them. Sandu was grateful for what they did but could not shake the feeling there was more to it than it appeared at face value.
Musings on the corvus corax aside, Sandu was still suffering from the condition of being a cloud. If he did not find a solution for that, he at least hoped the spell had a time limit. With a slight worry on his mind he drifted above and beyond the others, some of which descended downstairs into the cellar. When the voices came, he wished he had not and that he still had legs to carry him far away from this place. A cowled figure emerged from the darkness of the cellar surrounded by mist out of which crawled three figures bemoaning their fate. Given his current predicament Sandu hoped that was not an omen of what lay in store for him.
Dallid - You hear shouts coming from the cellar a short time after Galqarin disappeared downstairs. The malice and ill-intent contained within the voice leave you with little doubt; another fight awaits below. A chill mist emanates from the stairs downward, contained within it is the smell of damp and sweet wine. Deep foreboding strikes you then, could this be another of the druids Davian warned of? You have moments to act, it is your turn.
Battlemap:
((All (except for Galqarin) - You start at the red 'X', please feel free to count movement from this point.))
Initiative:
Dallid - 12 - Dark Green Bow & Ferelyon - Small Dark Green Shield
Dallid will move to Cerio and Dormark to cast cure wounds on each of them, and bring them back to consciousness.
Cerio 5 and Dormark 6
Paladin - warforged - orange
Cerio & Dormark - You hear a frustrated shriek in your mind as Dallid brings you back to consciousness. The mood in the winery is quite sombre as you open your eyes to the devastation wrought by the druid. You get a sense that whomever, or whatever, attempted to contact you as you lay unconscious has gone. However, you are unsure as to the state the rest of the winery is in... or whether more enemies yet lurk in the shadows.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
"I wouldn't be a man of faith if I change that easily... I would be a hypocrite," says Dormark before he was pull back from the brink. Looking round Dormark stands up and says, "Is everyone alright? What happen to the enemy?"
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Galqarin finally releases his hold on the mutilated druid and stands over him. "This enemy dead", he declares.
'Twas a curious thing to just float about. Not that Sandu had much experience with floating. Or leaving the ground entirely, let alone without a corporeal body. The feeling of flight was also new. It was not so much that Sandu moved as that he willed himself to go into a direction and just did so. It was a form of freedom Sandu was not entirely sure he was enjoying but at the very least he admitted it was better than getting stabbed and slashed by overgrown weeds.
It did provide him with a different problem. He was not sure how he pulled off the transformation from regular human to cloud of mist so Sandu had no idea how to reverse it. A cause for distress to be sure. Unsure of how to proceed exactly made Sandu gently float through the door and upwards to where the ravens had perched before.
*Concerned Mist Noises*
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
Tyrgram, the Butterfly Knight: Dwarf Warlock - Secret of Greenwold
Iòlinder Corrach: Half Elf War Cleric - Allansia Adventure
Valerius Sergius Publius: Dhampir Paladin - Vae Victus
"We are not done here." Dadeveth reminds the group. "Let us clear this place of any other dangers, before we get ambushed by something else." She moves to look through any doors or passages that lead further into the building.
Cerio jerks upright, clawing at the air. He rubs his face, blinking. He climbs slowly to his feet, placing a hand on the wall to steady himself. He retrieves his bow and slings it over a shoulder, looking around. He coughs to clear his throat. "Anything valuable on the body? And, say, ain't it time fer some wine? I'm parched!"
Perception to look around for valuables and/or wine: 14
Cerio's Perception check:
Casks
Looking around the fermentation vats, you find that the easternmost cask has been split at the back, creating a 6-inch-wide, 6-foot-high opening. Twigs and other foliage can be found inside the cask, as well as scratch marks around the gap.
The other three casks are filled to the brim with wine.
Body
The stench coming from the druid's mangled body is putrid. Aside from the ragged animal-skin furs, you find a rather gruesome necklace of what appear to be human teeth. Something else hangs from the necklace... you didn't see it at first on account of it being tucked under the druid's rags - a small locket.
Spotting the only real thing of value, you reach out and take the locket. The sound of rushing water fills your ears or, just maybe, it could be the sound of blustering wind. A young lady's voice enters your mind then, it is muffled and sounds distant. "Mutti?" There is a sobbing sound. "Mutti? Where are you?" Silence, the blowing sound stops and the voice has gone.
Inside the locket sits a picture;
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Afternoon - Day 8 - Winery Ground Floor
Moving quickly from room to room, the party checks the rest of the winery's ground floor. Thankfully, no further hostiles can be found. The room next to the veranda contains rows of new barrels as well as a narrow stone staircase spiralling upwards in the southwest corner; undoubtedly useful should any wish to transport any of the wine back to Krezk!
The room to the east of the barrel storage is the barrel maker's workshop; strips of iron and wood lie in neat piles on the floor, and the walls are lined with all manner of tools. Two worktables stand against the east wall.
To the west, near the western entrance, stands a small storage room. Bare hooks line the walls and shelves to the south hold several pairs of stained wooden sandals with oversized soles.
The southmost room is the glassblower's workshop. A dirty window in the south wall allows dim light to enter this room. It is clear that wine bottles are manufactured here, as evidenced by the tools lying about, the wooden rack is full of freshly blown glass bottles. Near the entrance to the winery, a set of stairs lead downwards toward a cellar.
All - You hear a commotion coming from the cellar. Whoever is down there is not being subtle, loud voices can be heard, as well as the crashing of glass on stone.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Dadivith prances in place as her eyes take in the stairs downward. "We best get down there before they destroy all of the wine..." She looks to her companions. "I know some of you wanted a drink after that last battle, but it seems like the druid's allies are trying to keep that from happening." She will not be the first down those stairs, but she is ready to head down when the others do.
Galqarin descends the stairs as stealthily as possible (14), alert for danger (14).
Afternoon - Day 8 - Winery Cellar
Galqarin - You sneak down the stairs towards the voices, thick moss covers the walls as you descend. The cellar is cool and the smell of damp and mould permeates the dank, confined area. Lights flicker casting dancing shadows on the walls.
Moving closer still, you look into the main area of the wine cellar. Old, partially rotten wooden pillars and beams, slick with damp, support the ten-foot-high ceiling of the cellar, which is split in two by a five-foot-thick brick wall. A thin mist swirls around the floor. Each half of the cellar features an eight-foot tall wooden partition that doubles as a wine rack. The western rack stands empty, but the eastern one is half filled with wine bottles.
Something moves behind the eastern wine rack, directly in front of you. Through the mist, you glimpse a figure standing tall; he wears a mask sporting thick grooves and blood-smeared, a cowl and furs obscure the rest of his features, from the top of the cowl thick twigs poke through, creating a crown of sorts.
"Keep at it," the figure hisses, his voice cruel and full of malice. "Our misstressss demandsss that you dessstroy all the wine here. The foolsss mussst be on their way now. Only the wine in the vatsss above sssshould remain. Underssstand?"
It is then that you see figures crawling through the mist, numbering three. One of the figures stands, a sorrowful creature, her face appears frozen in a state of deep, unrelenting sadness. "Why? Why bother, what is this life!" she yells at the cowled man. "If I had known, if I had understood the manner of the deal I was making... I... I..." The woman lets out a moan filled with equal parts sorrow and anger.
Another of the crawling figures, this time a young man with a similar look on his face, his skin as equally pallid as the woman's. "I had my whole life ahead of me. I was due to be wed! Now I am little more than a spectre... a ghoul set to spend all his days in servitude to a cruel mistress."
"Ssssilence!" the cowled figure hisses. "You shall obey, for obey you mussst! Asss iss the nature of my missstressesss bargain. You will be sssilent from thisss point on, elssse you sshal know true pain!"
The cruel figure peers out in your direction.
"Foolssss! They have arrived! Jussst like our missstress foresssaw!" His arm stretched out and points at you. "Sssseizze him!"
ALL - Please roll initiative.
Galqarin - You may roll a history check to see if you recall any information about these unusual beings.
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Dadeveth follows as others lead the way down the stairs. As she enters the underground area she hears the ones speaking.
initiative is rolled in the game log. It is a 16.
Dallid (and Ferelyon) initiative 23
Paladin - warforged - orange
(Galqarin's history 1, and initiative 13.)
initiative: 6
Dormark Calling of Strahd (warforged cleric) 4
Cerio initiative: 7
The ravens were gone. With the losses they suffered Sandu could not fault them. He did find it rather peculiar for the birds to exhibit such agressive behaviour. One would think they would fly away at the first sign of trouble but here the birds had gone on the offensive with an aggression unbecoming of them. Sandu was grateful for what they did but could not shake the feeling there was more to it than it appeared at face value.
Musings on the corvus corax aside, Sandu was still suffering from the condition of being a cloud. If he did not find a solution for that, he at least hoped the spell had a time limit. With a slight worry on his mind he drifted above and beyond the others, some of which descended downstairs into the cellar. When the voices came, he wished he had not and that he still had legs to carry him far away from this place. A cowled figure emerged from the darkness of the cellar surrounded by mist out of which crawled three figures bemoaning their fate. Given his current predicament Sandu hoped that was not an omen of what lay in store for him.
Initiative: 6
(14 in case it mentions the error)
William Brackwater: Human Fighter - The Windward Isles
Tyrgram, the Butterfly Knight: Dwarf Warlock - Secret of Greenwold
Iòlinder Corrach: Half Elf War Cleric - Allansia Adventure
Valerius Sergius Publius: Dhampir Paladin - Vae Victus
DM Rolls:
AA: 19
BD: 10
RU: 21
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)
Cellar Crawl - Round #1 -Initiative
Dallid - You hear shouts coming from the cellar a short time after Galqarin disappeared downstairs. The malice and ill-intent contained within the voice leave you with little doubt; another fight awaits below. A chill mist emanates from the stairs downward, contained within it is the smell of damp and sweet wine. Deep foreboding strikes you then, could this be another of the druids Davian warned of? You have moments to act, it is your turn.
Battlemap:
Initiative:
DM - The Call of Strahd (CoS); Feyrealm Campaign, Chapter 0 - Bleak Prospect (BP), Chapter 1 - Destination Unknown (DU)