Session 6 - Strip Poker with a Witch

General Summary

Fredrik is not here this session

• Richard and Damia stop arguing when they hear the wagon
• We hurry to hide in the forest
  • Most of us roll really low, with Richard crit failing
  • Ireena crits again ^^
  • Richard falls in the mud, and his shoe remains in the road
  • Damia helps Richard, while Jonathan and Ariah dive into some bushes
  • Everyone is convinced they're well hidden
• The wagon comes into view, it is Granny from Barovia
• Her wagon stops on Richard's shoe, and she looks around meeting the eyes of Ariah and Richard
• Ariah notices that under the wagon is a burlap sack with something heavy in it
• Granny picks up the shoe and puts it in her cart, before walking up to the windmill and carrying the sack inside
• We stand in the forest, so we can't be seen from the windmill
• Ariah asks if any of the party has tools for predicting the future (25 gp worth)
• When she explains that it can help her know if something bad will happen if we go in, Jonathan uses his bard ability to create a fancy deck of cards
• Ariah ritually casts Augury and asks what will happen if we enter the windmill
• Both weal and woe
• Damia suggests that she investigates but doesn't go in, while we stay back
• Jonathan gives her bardic inspiration, while Ariah casts Protection from Good and Evil
• Damia's extended mage armour is still in effect (it is on 9/16 hours)
• Damia approaches the windmill
• She notices that the grass is dead/dying
• There are snakes in the grass, and crawling over the road quickly
• The windmill blades does not seem to be able to move anymore
• The windmill is leaning slightly to one side, but otherwise seems stable
• She is hearing several voices inside, and clearly smells the pies
• When she is within range (30 ft.) she casts Detect Magic
• There is a lot of enchantment magic on the first floor
• Not a lot of magic elsewhere, including on the other floors and the door
• Something is moving on the inside, giving off enchantment magic
• Damia takes notes and alerts us with Message about the magic, snakes and movement
• As she wonders what to do next, she hears a child crying from the top of the building
• She casts an extended Reduce on herself, before jumping up to a windowsill and looking in
• She sees two figures moving about
• She jumps back down, making sound
• The voices inside quiet as someone is walking towards the door
• Damia sprints and jumps into the tall grass
• The door opens and Damia lies as quiet as possible
• The rest of the party sees Granny start walking towards Damia holding a stick
• Damia quickly Messages Ariah that she heard a child crying
• Ariah steps into the road and shouts a greeting at Granny, then walking closer to talk with Granny and distract her
• Jonathan joins her after giving Richard and Ireena a signal to stay hidden
• When Granny asks what we're doing here, Jonathan says that he can't get enough of her pies and came here after smelling them
• She wants him to follow her into the windmill, but he convinces her to bring some out to the picnic we're planning out in the forest
• She agrees, and will follow the campfire and bring us warm pies
• As we're talking Damia has removed a snake (or something) from her clothing, and sneaks to the side of the windmill, out of sight
• She Messages Ariah to thank her, and ask her what the plan is
• After they talk, Ariah recounts the conversation to Jonathan who tells her his plan to let Granny wander the woods looking for a campfire that doesn't exist as we sneak inside
• We hide in the forest as Granny walks passed with a nice basket with pies, candles and drinks
• Damia uses her innate ability to Disguise Self to turn into a slightly taller version of Granny (without the basket)
• She walks inside
  • As she enters there is a small crow cawing at her
  • Another woman is inside, she is young but doesn't look it being crooked and chubby
  • The woman starts a conversation, and Damia tries her best to imitate Granny's voice
  • It seems to go well
  • She lies and tells the woman that she returned to get something to put the payment in (the young snipper-snappers payed in cheese)
  • The woman seems to be suspecting something, but only for a moment.
  • She keeps calling Damia Morgantha
  • She reaches the second floor and sees a big grinding stone, and another crooked woman using it
  • There seems to be while/yellow pieces in the flour, which doesn't seem like normal pieces
  • The second woman starts a conversation, and it ends with the woman saying that "The boy is upstairs". He is locked up and she "fed him well"
  • Damia reaches the third floor and sees a pile of clothes in a cage and a small girl whimpering
  • She casts Message and tells the girl that she is in disguise
  • The girl is afraid of her since she looks like Granny
  • Eventually Damia drops the disguise, and the girl asks her to free her
  • She tells Damia that there are several more captured upstairs (referring to a ladder going up)
  • They keep talking through Messages
  • "The oldest witch carries [the keys]"
  • Damia tells the girl that she has to go to be able to come back and help
  • The girls says "No!" out loud, and the grinding stops downstairs
  • Damia goes up the ladder
  • Damia reaches the fourth floor, there are bedrooms and bag of food and a large pile of human clothing
  • Damia sees Ariah sprinting up to the windmill, and hears her through the window
  • She Messages her to tell her about her situation and lets her know that she will need help getting out of there
  • Ariah asks if she should go get the key first, or if Damia needs help right away
  • Damia says that she will be able to hide, and that Jonathan is out of range for her message
  • After Ariah talks to someone at the door, Damia tries to hide in the pile of clothes
  • A bit later the first floor woman comes upstairs looking for Morgantha
  • She quickly notices that the pile of clothes has moved to the corner, and reveals Damia
  • Damia casts Reduce on the woman, Gusts to jump over her and starts running down the stairs, right into the second story woman
  • She runs after Damia and the restrains her
  • (The second story woman is named Offilia)
  • Damia tries to escape, but feels claws starting to come around her
  • The first woman comes down the stairs and her face starts to change into something horrible
  • Damia keeps trying to Gust Offeila away, and succeeds on the second try
  • She flees, opening herself up for an opportunity attack
  • She is not able to escape and they eventually manages to knock her unconcious
  • The last thing she notices is cackling
• Outside Granny has reached the place we were at in the start. She doesn't see a campfire and turns around to go back inside
• Ariah sneaks closer to the forest edge to be ready in case Damia needs help
  • She knows that there is something unnatural going on when there are this many snakes and critters
  • She decides to risk walking briskly (but trying to be stealthy) up to the windmill At this time, Damia messages her and they have the conversation from before
  • Before Ariah can leave to find Granny, someone opens the door (the woman from the first floor)
  • Ariah manages to convince her that she is here to buy pies and will have to go and fetch her coin purse before returning
  • She claims to not know Morgantha

• Jonathan runs up to her and tells her that he doesn't know how to light a campfire
• Granny brought matchsticks and will help
• He convinces her to set up a cozy camp with him a bit away from the windmill and into the forest
• They set up in a clearing which can be seen from the windmill
• Granny says that she can't stay too long, since her sisters will be worried about her
• They can't come because they have to prepare the baked goods for tomorrow
• Jonathan wants to get them all to dance, and Granny says that her sisters might come out if they hear music
• Granny asks if the rest of his friends will be coming, "and what about that one close by the windmill? Will she be joining as well?"
• Jonathan asks how old she is (94(?)) and tries to gaslight her into thinking she saw wrong
• Granny puts forth five pies and some dirty glasses, which Jonathan cleans with Prestidigitation
• Jonathan plays his lute and sings a shanty for her
• Granny pours something that looks like wine, but Jonathan sings a flirty song instead of drinking
• It is very effective, Granny seems to have forgotten that there are more of us
• Granny eventually starts asking about the rest of the party, and Jonathan says that he is embarrassed to say but he was hoping it would just be the two of them
• Granny prepares to have an intimate moment when Ariah arrives
• Jonathan is very glad that she comes
• Ariah tries to give hints by referring to a story about a thief and a key
• Jonathan sings her a song to give her inspiration
• Neither of them gets it, but Ariah rolls unnatural 20 on her story, so Jonathan eventually gets the idea while Granny just enjoys the story and drinks her wine
• Jonathan uses Prestidigitation to pretend to eat the pie
• He takes out his weighted dice and suggests to play strip poker (he rolls a 25 on persuasion)
• Granny is on board, and is adamant that all of us play
• She wants to add a rule that we eat pie, Ariah suggests that the person who guesses correctly eats some pie
• We play
  • Granny is first up and takes of a sock
  • The weighted dice betray Jonathan and he takes of a sock
  • Ariah takes of a kneeplate
  • .... and so on for half an hour until Granny is in her underwear
  • Ariah helps her fold her coat and pats it down, but doesn't feel the key
  • Jonathan offers Granny to give her a back massage, he rolls high but she refuses
  • He still walks up behind her and punches her in the back of the head, however she is shorter than expected and he ends up with his arm around her shoulder instead
  • He looks at Ariah in desperation, and she cast Hold Person
  • Jonathan starts searching, while Ariah struggles to keep holding her (Granny has adv on the saves every round)
  • Ariah shouts for Richard to help, both he and Ireena comes rushing and helps to try and knock her out
  • Granny keeps rolling low thankfully
  • She starts bleeding, but it is green(?) blood
  • We're not fast enough however, as Granny breaks free, grabs her clothes and disappears

Plan

Be distressed that Granny disappeared. Tell Jonathan not to involve her in future plans like that. GO SAVE DAMIA (we don't know that she got caught, but she is unconscious but stable).
DON'T TELL FREDRIK ABOUT STUFF HIS CHARACTER DIDN'T SEE

Report Date

28 Jul 2022