Lessons from the Mists: Session 4 - The Shadowed Village

Welcome back to Lessons from the Mists! This session, the heroes battle the horrors in the dungeons beneath the Durst manor, and escape its haunted halls to meet new faces in the village of Barovia. Let's get started!

The undead form of Elizabeth Durst attacks the heroes! Fate, however, favors the heroes in this battle. Only Oonagh falls victim to the ghast’s Stench feature, and quickly recovers, and Angvar lands the killing blow with his silvered shortsword.

The party descends into the second level of the basement, being very careful about alerting anyone of their presence. Mary Sue Ann casts dancing lights into a reliquary chamber once all was clear. There, they found many strange artifacts - some with a residual magical quality. Mary Sue Ann is interested in a white feather she finds, which makes her feel at peace, and a chunk of amber resin which sends a chill down her spine after touching it with a Mage Hand. Another artifact the heroes find interesting is an old, worn out Tarokka deck, of which four cards are still legible: the Abjurer, the Mercenary, the Innocent, and the Broken One. They surmise it represented them - the Abjurer is Mary Sue Ann, the Mercenary is Kane, the Innocent is Oonagh, and the Broken one is Angvar. They take their cards, leaving the deck behind. Lancelot, still following all of them, brings Oonagh a desiccated frog lashed to a stick to play fetch with.

Of the two passageways out, they explore a prison first. Angvar finds a gold ring on the skeleton while Mary Sue Ann finds a secret door that leads into a ritual chamber. Kane detects undead in the area, and finds faint undead essences floating above the chamber. They discuss what to do, none of them wanting to set foot in the water down below (even after the wizard sees it is only 2 feet deep). Kane and Angvar decide to long jump across the chamber to land on an altar in the center without getting into the water. Mary Sue Ann stays in the secret doorway to blast whatever might arrive with spells, while Oonagh investigates the pile of refuse in the alcove, seeing something glowing from within.

At that moment, the undead essences from above materialize into dark cloaked apparitions - the ghosts of the former cult, and begin to chant “ONE MUST DIE.” I start a timer that I show my players - 2 minutes. Not enough time to do anything of note. Using her mage hand, Mary Sue Ann flicks open a bundle of cloth atop the altar, revealing a golden ceremonial dagger. Kane blasts the ghosts back with Turn Undead, but more replace them. Oonagh digs into the pile of refuse, finding a golden orb deep within.

The timer expires. The ghosts of the cult chant, “COME, DEMON, WE AWAKEN THEE.” The pile of refuse blasts open, dealing enough damage to Oonagh to kill her instantly. She flies across the room, her spine snapping as she crashes into the altar. And this emerges from the pile of refuse.

It's initiative! Mary Sue Ann blasts the abomination with Magic Missile, Angvar lands a couple significant blows on it and climbs atop its back. The abomination misses its attacks against Kane in the first round after he blesses the party, but as he attempts to run away on his second turn, he is swallowed by what was once Walter. Inside its gullet, he sees a beating heart. He pulls his shield which bears the holy symbol of Kelemvor above his head, and blasts it with a Guiding Bolt. The abomination screams, a low roar accompanied by a baby’s wailing, and collapses to the ground, dead. Kane pulls himself out of the gore and viscera that slowly melts away while Angvar scoops up the body of Oonagh - it’s already too late. Nothing to be done about her now. Mary Sue Ann finds Lancelot still in the prison, and mutters “It should have been you.”

Faint golden light appears in the chamber, and the spirits of the Durst family appear, laid to rest finally. They whisper, “Thank you.”

Kane, Angvar, and Mary Sue Ann climb the long stairway back to the attic, then back down to the first floor, finding that all the pristine interior has aged considerably - moisture stains on the walls, all metal tarnished, the food in the kitchen and in Mary Sue Ann’s bag rotten. The front door is no longer locked, and the mists outside have mostly dissipated. On the front porch is a basket full of bright, fresh vegetables, fresh baked bread, smoked meats, and a letter that reads: “Welcome to Barovia. -S”

Mary Sue Ann is suspicious of the basket, and feeds the bread to Lancelot, but with no ill effects. They discuss whether or not to sleep here, as they are exhausted. The sun has set, but there is no way to tell exactly how late it is. Better to press on, says Angvar. He would rather get as far away from the house as possible. Angvar carries Oonagh’s dead body the entire way. After a few hours of walking back on the main road, they see a collection of buildings emerging from the mist, and far in the distance, atop a high cliff, the silhouette of a castle.

Walking into the town proper, they see damage on many of the structures - burn marks, claws scoring the wood. Eyes watch them from behind drawn curtains. There are still living people in this decrepit village, but the streets are empty. They round a corner, looking for an inn, and find an old woman with a cart selling baked goods to a villager. “Thank you, Granny,” he mutters before darting back inside.

She wheels the cart around and introduces herself to the party. She is quite distraught over their dead friend, saying sorry for what happened. As some small consolation, she hands them each a meat pie. Mary Sue Ann asks her name, and she replies it's just Granny. She asks if there’s a priest nearby, a healer. Granny informs them of Father Donavich, but says he’s no healer. Mary Sue Ann asks further on who rules this land, and Granny points up to the castle on the cliff, saying “Count Strahd von Zarovich rules Barovia. There’s his castle, Ravenloft.” With that, she bids them good night, and wheels her cart off into the village.

The party enters the tavern, the Blood on the Vine, and sees the sorry interior. A group of three Vistani women laughing, a sorry looking bartender, a blonde man in the corner. With a sick sense of humor, the Vistani women laugh and mock the dead body that Angvar carries. He notices their scars underneath their left eye, and asks “Does that mean you are rude?”. They grow cold. He says “Not everything is to be joked about, yes?”

The Vistani continue to heckle. The blond man in the corner raises his voice. “That’s enough!” Looking up for the first time, he sees the dead body, and introduces himself as Ismark (for which the Vistani correct “Ismark the Lesser!”), feeling sorry for their loss. He wants to know what happened.

Mary Sue Ann wants to know where they are, what’s happening here. He says they are in Barovia, the valley ruled by Strahd von Zarovich, who resides in Castle Ravenloft. There is no escape from this place, apologizing for the situation they’ve found themselves in. Every few decades, outsiders wander into the valley from the mists, taken from wherever their homelands are. They don’t last long. He asks where they came from, and what happened to their friend. Angvar says they come from Daggerford hunting bandits, and they found a house with children outside that needed help. A vicious monster in the basement killed their friend. Ismark is impressed, saying that the house has been haunted for centuries.

“Bandits?” Ismark asks. “Did they travel in wagons, lots of music, dancing?” Angvar says that was them. “Then you have met the Vistani. Thieves. They alone can escape from this place with Strahd’s blessing.” He whispers all of this while looking over his shoulder at the three mocking women at the table. Ismark sees Lancelot for the first time, and asks where he’s been. The dog belongs to another villager, Gertruda.

Ismark asks for their help, realizing how formidable they must be if they were to survive the Durst house. They oblige after he offers them a room to stay in for the night at his mansion. Angvar scoops up Oonagh’s corpse once more. He leads them there, the facade of which is scarred by fire and claw marks, all windows smashed and boarded up. He knocks on the door. “Ylenia!” He calls. “It is Ismark. I have guests.”

Opening the door is Grace’s new player character - Ylenia Kolyanovich, a level 3 Paladin (Oath of Devotion, sworn to the Morninglord). She has a round, soft face, sad eyes, wearing a black, ruffled mourning dress. Her most striking feature, however, is her blue-white hair. “Who are these people?” “Friends,” Ismark replies. “What did we say about going out?” Ylenia says. Ismark replies, “I have forbidden you from leaving for your own safety, and I needed a drink. And thankfully, I met these people.”

Entering the mansion, Ismark introduces them to his sister and explains the help he needs - burying his father. The village has sustained multiple attacks from the servants of Strahd in retribution for an uprising led by the priest’s son, Doru. None of the villagers Doru gathered returned from their march on the castle. Only Doru came back, turned. “Turned?” Mary Sue Ann asks. “Into a vampire,” Ylenia replies. She explains their lord is a creature of the night, an undead blood drinker. The party sighs. Angvar’s player says “This place blows.”

After weeks of attacks, Ismark and Ylenia’s father died from stress. Then, the attacks stopped. There’s been nothing to explain this, and for the past few days their father has laid in a coffin in their mansion, Ismark afraid of going outside for long, but needing help to bring the priest into his right mind to perform the proper rituals. He explains that Donavich has gone half mad, praying day and night to deliver his son from damnation.

Kane and Angvar offer their services to send Ismark’s father’s spirit to the afterlife, but Ismark wants to do it under the guidance of the Morninglord, the Barovian’s god of the sun, but says wistfully “He has not shown his face in centuries.” Kane remembers the god Lathander’s title of Morninglord, unsure if it is a coincidence these gods share the same name and domain.

Then, Ismark asks another favor. He says that to the west there is a town with high walls, far from the reach of Strahd, supposedly safe with a blessed church. He wants his sister safe, and asks them to bring her there. Ylenia protests, and says she is doing it of her own accord, not because he commanded her to. He must stay behind as burgomaster for Barovia. Ylenia says she can also handle herself well, has trained with the sword and has devoted herself as a warrior of the Morninglord. Ismark thinks it a frivolous calling, that she will get herself killed.

With that, they head to bed. Ismark asks them to think about it and make a decision in the morning. At the very least, the heroes promise to help bury Ismark’s father and Oonagh.

Mary Sue Ann goes to speak with Angvar and Kane. She laments the fact that they are trapped, saying there must be a way out. She has heard of ways of traveling through the planes, and says there must be a wizard powerful enough to perform those rituals here somewhere. Angvar says that they can just go ask Strahd, as the Vistani can go where they like. Mary Sue Ann doesn’t think Strahd is that gracious. She says she has a family back home, and if she has a chance to leave, she will. Angvar agrees. He has no desire to stay here. Kane, however, is resolute on staying. He says that the undead is anathema to everything Kelemvor stands for. He has been chosen by his god. If it comes down to leaving and staying behind in this cursed land to help these people and stop the undead that preys on them, he will stay behind to enact his god’s will. The others respect that decision. Mary Sue Ann does not want to be alone, and they all sleep in the same room.

Meanwhile, Ylenia is in her room, a traveler’s pack open. She resolutely looks out the window at her village, as tears silently fall down her face.

A few hours later, a knock comes at the door, frantic. “Ismark!” A voice calls. Everyone in the mansion is up in an instant. Ismark shushes everyone, runs to the door, opens it, and Mad Mary bursts in, sobbing, hysterical, saying she found her little girl’s doll by the edge of town. She thinks she’s out there somewhere. After an excruciating few minutes, Ismark calms Mary down, and leads her back home, while the heroes watch silently. Angvar and Mary Sue Ann are mostly unbothered and try to go back to sleep. Ismark returns and informs Kane that Mary has gone half mad after losing her little girl, Gertruda. When she burst in, however, that was a good sign. A vampire cannot enter a home uninvited. With that, they all try to go back to sleep.

And the party advances to level 3!

Very well, actually! There were a few snags here and there but for the most part, I think it was successful.

The heroes rolled very well in the fight against Elisabeth, and so it was easier than I was expecting even without any die fudging.

When I pulled out a physical Tarokka deck (made by GaleForceNine) and began to show the cards that correspond to each of the characters, I got a very positive reaction from my players. I am really excited for how the eventual reading will go with Madam Eva. If you have the opportunity to get a physical Tarokka deck prop, I highly recommend it.

There were a few things I changed about the ritual chamber and the Walter fight. Firstly, I needed to lure Oonagh to the pile of refuse so that she would die (more on that later). I considered Kane’s very powerful feature where an unconscious character he heals would receive maximum healing, so in the moment I needed to kill Oonagh instantly and rolled 4d12 damage on the explosion - more than any 2nd level character could survive without rolling poorly.

Angvar carried Oonagh’s body throughout the session after she died, which colored both social encounters with Granny and with Ismark significantly. I felt like if Granny were to basically ignore the dead body, then she would be too cold and callous. But in turn, I wasn’t really able to show off a weird, kind grandmother in a place so dreary and hopeless. I hope to find a place for another encounter with Granny before the heroes make it to the Old Bonegrinder to properly foreshadow it. Meeting Ismark with a dead body, however, made it much easier for the heroes to accept his asking for help, as he and his sister need a body buried as well.

I used some illustrations from JamesRPG art when the players entered the village and they hated this place. I also showed this illustration of Ismark, and my players immediately thought Ismark was SMOKING! HOT.

Watching the heroes roleplay with each other in Ismark’s mansion was some top notch stuff, some of my favorite moments in the campaign thus far. Mary Sue Ann asked about the strange coin that Angvar carried around, and Angvar dodged the question slightly. Mary Sue Ann says that all she cares about is getting out and returning to her family. Kane’s willingness to enact his god’s will even at his own peril, to stand against the darkness while the other heroes just want to survive, showed everyone why he is not a simple priest or acolyte of Kelemvor, but a cleric, one of his chosen. It was some amazing stuff, really.

And, of course, the reveal of Ylenia and the heroes’ reaction to her was fantastic, which brings me to…

Collaborating with a Player

Oonagh and Ylenia’s player, Grace, is a newer player at my table but she came in swinging in the last campaign I ran when I needed to replace a player character. We talked a lot about how this character fit into the previous campaign, and so I knew she was a great player to be a sidekick to a DM, secretly plotting against the other players.

Before the campaign started, when I was pitching the players individually on a gothic horror campaign heavily inspired by Dracula and other vampire stories, the movie Nosferatu directed by Robert Eggers had just come out, and all of the players had watched it and loved it. Grace said to me, “I want to play a character like Ellen Hutter.”

Meanwhile, in preparing for the campaign, I am of course reading MandyMod’s brilliant series, Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd (which I highly recommend!), and in the chapter on the Village of Barovia, she recommends replacing Ireena Kolyana in the original campaign with a player character; at the very least, the role of Ireena being the reincarnated Tatyana and the object of Strahd’s desire be put onto a PC rather than an NPC. I told Grace that she can play someone just like Ellen Hutter (or Mina Harker, if you prefer Dracula analogues), and we began to plan.

Something I really liked about Ireena in the original campaign is that she is a native of Barovia and someone you don’t meet immediately. I didn’t love the idea that other members of the community have of making a PC a native of Barovia that had been secreted out of the valley by the Vistani or whatever (more power to you if you want to do that). I wanted to keep the players feeling very fish-out-of-water, not knowing anything about this new place they find themselves in.

One of Matt Colville’s videos in his series Running the Game describes his process of collaborating with another player in his live streamed campaign, the Chain of Acheron. I won’t go into too much detail here but the gist is that he collaborated in secret with a new player of his, one who had never played D&D before, to play through the plot of a famous Star Trek episode in D&D. The catch is that this character will eventually die, there is no getting out of that. So the idea was to create a fake character to play out this story, and when the narrative had come to a close, bring in the new character, the real PC the player originally wanted to play.

I thought that this approach would be great - create a fake character with a plan for them to die and then bring in another character that would replace Ireena when the heroes made it to the village of Barovia. It would maintain the fish-out-of-water narrative for the majority of the PC’s, it would reinforce the theme of horror to kill a character right out of the gate while avoiding a heartbroken player that wanted to keep playing them. Grace knew Oonagh would die (the name Oonagh comes from an Irish word meaning “lamb” as Oonagh was our sacrificial lamb for the campaign - which was entirely Grace’s idea!), and we made Ylenia in secret after our session 0 with the rest of the players. I gave Grace a few parameters - this character must be a human, have an uncommon hair color, must be the daughter of the burgomaster of Barovia. I also gave her a lot of info that someone in Barovia will know, so my players have the experience of having another player give them lore and setting info, rather than it just come from me through NPCs.

However, I informed Grace - being the object of desire for Strahd does not mean any plot armor. She is still as vulnerable as anyone else (given that part of Strahd’s curse is that the spirit of Tatyana is always out of his grasp, but she doesn’t know that). Grace agreed that she wouldn’t want it any other way. And off we went.

It worked great! Angvar’s player Sam and Grace are partners, so Sam knew Oonagh was not Grace’s real character but didn’t know when the change would happen or how. Liv and Bryan had no idea about any of this, and were properly surprised (Bryan ended up hitting his head throwing it back with how flabbergasted he was when Ylenia was introduced). The campaign will continue as usual, and I think with the events in Vallaki to come, it will cement that staying with the heroes is far safer than any haven Ylenia might hide in, so she can become a permanent member of the party.

For Next Session

The party will deal with Donavich and bury Kolyan Indirovich and Oonagh. We’ll see what they do with Doru. After that, they will be on their way towards Vallaki…

Until next time!