Session 39

General Summary

Pit Stop

The party collected themselves and began their trek after procuring a third horse to make up for the one lost during the ambush. However, before moving up the mountain, the party decided to visit the tower to see Van Richten, or at the very least visit the door and perhaps gather some materials and equipment for the journey. When they arrived, Esmeralda's wagon was missing outside the tower, and upon getting reminded on how to open the door by Ariadne, proceeded to move up the tower. Taking a brief moment to peruse the equipment on the penultimate floor, they arrived at the final top floor, and simply upon a brief recognition, allowed the party to move about. Ahrieya asked briefly why Van Richten had something from her lady, only able to provide a brief response before she rushed over to touch the door. Meanwhile, the old man said that Ez spoke quite highly of the group, and when asked, Ez mentioned that she hadn't spoken with Diem in some time. Esmeralda was given some bad news. 
Asking if the party could use some of Van Richten's equipment, the old man gifted the party an iron rod to allow them to take anything on the walls. All the weapons had a faint trace of magic on them, while the armor present had a much stronger sense to them. Procuring some equipment, the party awaited Ahrieya to return.
Ahrieya found herself in a darkened room as a lurching golden-masked figure emerged. Ahrieya quickly moved to try and embrace it as it shifted quickly away, only to emerge soon after in Vaund's typical form. The entity claimed that something was blocking them from contacting Ahrieya, and that in order to help her regain her strength, she needed to release Vaund from her prison in the Amber Temple. Moving back into the shadows, the massive golden mask appeared once again, asking Ahrieya if there is something they would like to have fixed. Thinking about how to release Strahd's hold of Sena, two images were given. One was a snow covered temple on a mountain, and the other was a pendant around Stahd's neck.
Curious, Van Richten remarked on how that usually doesn't happen to him when he touches the door. He just gets small bouts of inspiration. Moving downstairs to meet up with the rest of the party, Ahrieya recognized the craftsmanship of the armor and weapons; very similar to the armor that was on the saber-toothed cat in Vallaki. When confronted about it, Van Richten denied releasing the beast, but nothing aside from that, and informed the party to not pry any further. He seems to hold something against the Vistani.

Meetup at the Old Keep

When the group arrived at Argenvostholt, a quick sending was sent to Kasimir letting him know where they were. He responded with that he would be there shortly. In the meantime, and throughout the day, Idris had been sending vibes back and forth to those connected in his network. After connecting a group of 21 bats to whatever network he was a part of, Idris began to check in as usual, but ended up getting another ping. Unfamiliar, not only was he getting this mystery ping from the south, but the vibes he was getting was concerning. Furthermore, it felt as though he was getting vibe checked as well; Stay safe. Ahrieya sent a message to Ireena, checking up on her. Ireena responded that so long as she is there, she can keep Strahd busy. Sena comes in and out of domination from time to time. She seems glad that the party made it out.
When Kasimir arrived, he was glad that the party was unharried on the road. He faced a similar condition, and remarked again on the beacon that the party had lit in the keep. Kasimir gave a rundown on where they were planning on going, what might be on the mountain, and what to expect. As it gets quite cold on the mountain, expect extreme weather conditions. Mountain folk used to be a nice sight, however he doesn't know how they will react after all this time, though his first plan is still to try and arrive at their settlement within the first day of travel. Also, be aware of a massive beast believed to be a messenger of the Weaver. Whether or not the tales of its connection to the Fanes is true, it is still a beast.
The next day, the party had moved towards the base of Mt. Ghakis. During the trip, Ahrieya felt a burning sensation on her hand. Curious.

Mountain Climbers

As the trek up the mountain began, the party began to see that the foliage shifted towards more like a tundra. Winds howling and snow covered fields, the party saw a massive bird flying overhead. Thinking back to what she knows about monsters, Ahrieya surmises that perhaps this creature might be a Roc, just as the haunch of a cow splatters on the snow before them.
An outcropping could be seen up ahead, and some tracks moving towards it. Though the party decided not to investigate, a severed hand was found on the ground, riddled with blackened veins, not too dissimilar to Nova's condition.
Up the path, the party came across a boy struggling in a frozen lake. As the party appeared however, they could make out giant white wolves moving towards the boy. As the entire groups sprang into action, Ahrieya gave everyone flight, and those who she could not (Idris and Ariadne) hopped on the flying carpet. Nova began weed whacking the wolves as Gio removed the boy from the freezing water. After one of the wolves fell, it attempted to convince the party they were guardians, and could lead the party to treasure. Nova clearly saw through this, and continued to weed whack. Dispatching all but one wolf, Gio told it to run, and it actually worked this time!
Idris, Ariadne, and Kasimir began to warm the boy as he asked where his mother was. They had set up a camp a ways away before they were attacked by a pale wolf-like creature with a stinger-like tail. Meanwhile, as Nova began to skin one of the wolves with Gio observing, they noticed multiple mouths with razor sharp teeth opening from many holes in its flesh.
Ahrieya and Gio decided to turn back to investigate the camp. There, they found the mangled body of a woman with a prominent puncture wound in their chest. Gio surprisingly took this moment to have his eyes glow, and green mist drip from the corpse's mouth as it began to speak. Asking how it died and what did it, she described the same creature the boy did, and that the stinger corrupted it, then... puppet? Her name is Birghild, and wished for her body to return to the wilds. Before, they left, Gio asked where to take her boy. She asked him to bring him to his mother, Sigrid. Ahrieya was astonished for a moment, questioning how he could do such a thing, before the duo returned to the group to break the bad news.
The trek has only begun.

Report Date

19 Aug 2023