Session 31: Lost, but not forgotten... Report

General Summary

The group arrives in the village of Barovia, outside a local church. They stop by the local church for guidance and find a mad priest hiding a secret. The group discovers he's hiding his son in the basement. The son had apparently been infected by Strahd, the local vampire lord, and has turned into a mindless vampire spawn. The group convinces the priest momentarily that the son needs to be out of his misery.   As the group readies to leave the church, green light flows from the ground. This light forms into ethereal humanoids, who are marching up to castle Barovia and jumping off the cliffs. Hundreds of spirits in an endless loop of despair march before the party. As they begin their walk to the small village of Barovia, they meet a hag who is selling small potions and wares.   She offers to tell them their fortunes when the group inquires about what and where Barovia is. The group reluctantly agrees and each give her some platinum coins. She draws tarot cards for them, informing them of allies and items that might aid them in their time in Barovia. She also tells them that Strahd is the lord of the land and key to being able to leave.   The group finally heads to the local inn, where they find Armin, entertaining the locals. Yet, when the group greets him, he does not recognize them. His memory seems to have faded and whatever hold the dark domains have over him, prevents the bard from remembering his party. The group still asks for him to join and they tell him that a hag informed them of a magical sword. This piques his interest