Chapter 05: October the 14th
General Summary
Hail ye mummers and mums, believers verily, and the uninitiated altogether!
Where we last left out heroes, the self-proclaimed Guardians of the Horizon, at the mansion of the Burgomaster of the Village of Barovia. Sad and quaint, empty, and rotting from the inside and out.
The spirit of the same Burgomaster visited his home and Ocarin Stonehollow led it to rest, both by offering a promise of security for its secretly adopted daughter, and through strange words and yet stranger magic.
The pensive Shadar-Kai, Charlemagne sought knowledge in the Burgomaster’s library and uncovered a number of tomes regarding the history of Barovia. Namely, Barovia: A History of Conquest & Colonization.
Captain of the Shadow’s Fury, Vorthos D'Artagnan sought a chemical relief from his withdrawing burdens but instead found the dire price his Dream Mincemeat Pastries: the woman Morgantha took the child of a village family as payment for more pastries while the parents were too strung out to resist. The Guardians confronted Morgantha and though she revealed secret after secret, the Guardians pressed her until she was forced to reveal her true form to them and escape: a Night Hag.
The Guardians returned to the Burgomaster’s Mansion just in time for Father Donavich to confide in Ireena that she was indeed adopted. Ismark took the news unpleasantly for he had always felt as though his father favored her. However, the Indirovich family, as broken as it was yet, was not afforded time to recover. A gentlemanly caller had arrived in a terrifying black carriage and a Majordomo Rahadin, surprisingly a Shadar-Kai himself, asked the Guardians to leave the threshold of the mansion to speak with the Dreadlord Strahd von Zarovich himself.
The Vampire Lord attempted to intimidate the Guardians with threats both veiled and unveiled, even casting the head of the merchant Bildrath Cantemir onto the ground before them in a demonstration of his murderous intentions. Strangely, though the so-called ‘God of this world’ took time to antagonize each member of Guardians of the Horizon, he did not once speak to or make eye-contact with Ocarin Stonehollow.
After the immortal King of Ravenloft had departed, the Guardians took to the Old Svalich Road, smuggling the now twice-bitten Ireena Kolyana out of Barovia and to the town of Vallaki. Along the way, the Guardians found a haunted gallows and were attacked by twelve elven zombies. During the conflict, Ireena discovered a great and terrible power within her, and eldritch magic lashed out from her fingertips. To her dismay, Strahd’s mark had violated more than just her body and connected her to an unknowable power.
The Guardians finally found rest at the Vistani Tser Pool Encampment where they met the enigmatic and wise Madam Eva, a fortune teller and soothsayer. The Madam shared visions of weapons, tools, and allies with the Guardians should they intend to resist the Dreadlord Strahd, but stopped short of trusting them with greater secrets.
Now the Guardians rest, with still much more of a journey before them, among the Vistani. Though Madam Eva has given them her word that they are safe for the night, can anyone truly be safe within the domain of such an evil creature as the monster Strahd von Zarovich?
Warren Peace
None Swiftstride (Acolyte)
Monk 7
Monk 7
52 / 52 HP
STR
9
9
DEX
18
18
CON
15
15
INT
14
14
WIS
18
18
CHA
14
14
Charlemagne
None Shadar-kai (Hermit)
Druid 7
Druid 7
66 / 66 HP
STR
13
13
DEX
15
15
CON
18
18
INT
17
17
WIS
20
20
CHA
12
12
Vorthos D'Artagnan
None Changeling (Pirate)
Rogue 7
Rogue 7
45 / 45 HP
STR
9
9
DEX
19
19
CON
13
13
INT
12
12
WIS
12
12
CHA
16
16
Ocarin Stonehollow
None Reborn (Haunted One)
Bard 7
Bard 7
52 / 52 HP
STR
12
12
DEX
13
13
CON
15
15
INT
18
18
WIS
16
16
CHA
20
20
Report Date
14 Oct 2023
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Plots
Related Characters