Recap 7

Dungeon Master (Andy) Recap:

Entering Vallaki from the east, after having made the smart but morally ambiguous decision to leave Morgantha alone with Freek at the windmill, the party met the lieutenant of the "Mourning Gate," Lars Kjurls. He seemed like an intelligent, good, but maybe sarcastic person. The party then saw the Arasek Mercantile and Stockyards they passed down the Old Svalich Road. They found the Blue Water Inn as well as the Church of St. Andral. They discovered the theft of the bones of the saint and even interviewed the priest Father Lucian Petrovich as well as the altar boy, Yeska. Yeska admitted to Adrian that he had broke the Father's confidence when he told Milijov, the grave digger, of the bones and their power. (The Handout spells it MIlivoj, but in another place it was spelled MIlijov, so I've used the later spelling as it makes more sense to me.)

Father Lucian offered his nightly congregation his prayers and the promise of St. Andral’s protection. Among Father Lucian’s nightly flock was a sad old woman named Willemina Rikalova. Her son, the shoemaker Udo Lukovich, had been imprisoned for speaking out against the burgomaster. She prayed to Father Lucian and the Morning Lord that her son will be set free. He was convicted of "Malicious Unhappiness." Fearing it was too late at night to do much about these incidents and also wanting to join the other party members in a bit of food and drink, the group at the church caught up with Moger, Ismark, and Ireena at the Inn. There they met a man named Rictavio. A carnival master whose wagon had been seen in the stockyard. He seemed to be something of a bard and a traveler. His pointy ears, though well hidden from the common folk of Barovia were recognizable to the party as those of a half-elf.

Next morning the party set out west looking for the new body of Dukus who they knew was on his way here. A few brief moments after leaving the western gate the party ran into Dukus. He preferred his new "monstrous" form to his original Aquatic form. Sensing the lake to the North, this led to a burial of Dukus' body there. Returning to the lake, Adrian's sharp eyes and those of Dukus, who had already seen the boat far above when he was at the lakes bottom, saw a man in a boat. He looked like a fisherman, but he threw a bag over board. Luckily for the girl in the bag, Dukus' rolls were hot and he swam out to her and saved her before she drowned. Later he returned for the fisherman, Bluto. After having heard enough, Adrian snuck up behind and cut the fisherman's throat. The alabaster-white skinned and raven-black haired little girl demanded to be returned to her family’s camp outside Vallaki. She was certain that her father, Luvash, would give the characters a reward for doing so.

Bluto Krogarov, unlucky fisherman and servant of Poseidon.

Arabelle, daughter of Luvash. Second Vistani seen with Alabaster white skin. First was Madam Eva.

This led the party to the Vistani camp to the South west of Vallaki. There they met both her father Luvash and his brother and "err, co leader, " Arrigal. Luvash was busy lashing the girls body guard to death when the party approached, but soon all was put right and waffles and wine ordered for everyone. As a reward, the leader of the Monster folk was allowed to choose one item from Luvash's, "err and Arrigal's" treasure wagon. This is where we left our story. Next week we will continue from here.

Adrian's Journal Entry:

Adrian's Journel, 1472 DR, Day seven (?) in Barovia:

We found the hag. I heard... The boy.. I try to forget his name. Freek. Such a sad name. Morgantha, Offalia, Bella... I won't forget their names. How many more children will we leave to die? Maybe we could have defeated them, but things scare me in this place. I thought the docks and crime at Watedeep taught me to not be afraid. But I am. Death waits for us in this place, and  the devil watches. Kai and I did not tell them about the boy. There was a crow on the windmill, an omen. It had to be, but from whom and why?

We've arrived at Vallaki. Maybe we can finally have a change of pace, a place where we can return to some normalcy and collect ourselves. Moger's tales about us being great heroes got us in, I never knew he could lie so elegantly. Even though taming an undead dragon and an orgy with seven Dryads was a bit too much to believe.The first step was to get everyone together, even those who are... deceased or changed.

Sigmund, Kai and I decided to check the chapel here while Ismark and Ireena headed to the Inn lead by Moger. In retrospect, sending Moger to the inn alone was a bad idea. The chapel was more like a cathedral, Sigmund spoke to the priest as we brought Ronin's body in. Resurrection is a near myth done by rare and powerful clerics back home, but it was possible and well recorded. Here, our only option seems to be this Abbot.

Interstingly, Sigmund uncovered that the cleric; Father Lucian Petrovich is worried about the church. St. Andral of whom the church is named after hallows the grounds with his bones. They are missing, the altar boy Yeska admitted to me that Milijov the gravedigger knows of the bones. He must be tied to this... Maybe I was too harsh on the boy, I used to interrogate criminals and demons but this was but a child. This place wears one down.

In the morning we'll find out whatever Dukus has become, the night was uneventful. Moger 'lost' his clothes again. I'll continue this tomorrow.

Lathander's holy ball sack...

Sigmund doesn't usually talk about prophecies. For one not so gifted by the more cautious arts his mystical senses ring true many times. The curse of the bitten, Kai informed us that Werewolf bites can.. infect. We stripped but it was difficult to distinguish Werewolf bites from ordinary Wolf ones. We should keep a close eye on everyone, something I tend to be good at. Although, I don't know how easy it would be to kill one of my comrades... I would have to be ready to hurt even Sigmund if it came to it. I'm not dying here. What am I writing? Of course not.. It won't come to it.

Well, we met Dukus. He seemed so accepting of this change, so matter of fact. Thinking of mechanical benefits of his new body, but isn't there more to a body than that? Is me just my soul or the sum of all it's parts, the scars I've gained, the crook in my nose, the lines under my eyes. Surely there is some worth to that, or maybe losing that body made him that way? More... mechanical.

He did rise up to the occasion with the fisherman though. Another child murdering son of a whore. I don't want to recall that any more. I enjoyed slitting his throat, Lathander forgive me. I hope he does not have a new beginning. I hope him and all like him just, end.

The girl was adorable but was insistent that we return her home, seeing her father embrace her made it worth it. I waited outside and examined the elves we saw there from afar. They built their houses in the hill, they are not new to this place. Maybe they can help or give us insight. Being from a mostly human and poor area in Waterdeep I did grow up with some resentment of the 'point ears' and their fine exotic wares... but, seeing an elf was like being home again... Anyways, I shall not record why I want to leave this camp lest someone read this journal, but we should.

There was some noise about arm wrestling and Sigmund complaining. I just listened on to make sure it didn't get too heated. Moger loves waffles, maybe I can use that to bribe him into behaving.

That's all for now... to new beginnings. Except to children murdering sons of whores.