On the Svalich Road Again
11th Moon, 735
It was sometime around mid-morning when the group rejoined outside the town of Vallaki.
Edmont shared that while visiting the town's coffin maker to find the stolen bones of St. Andral, he was attacked by six vampires who emerged out of dirt-filled crates. He sustained some injuries but he was able to escape. He wasn't able to find the bones although he suspected they may still be in the coffin maker's shop.
Luca, on the other paw, shared that he was told the winery was located several miles west of Vallaki. Supposedly, signs along the Svalich Road would guide them there. He also shared that an old woman stopped him on the way out of town. The woman begged Luca to help find the old woman's granddaughter. The grandmother's description matched that of the girl's ghost they encountered at the crossroads leading up to the old windmill. Luca told the old woman he couldn't help and her granddaughter may have been dead already. Luca said the old woman yelled at her and tried to put a curse on her. He didn't think he was cursed, however.
After discussing their options, the group decided to travel to the winery. A light rain began to fall.
The group arrived at an X intersection not far west of Vallaki, with branches to the northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast. The lower half of a snapped wooden signpost thrust upward at an angle near the eastern elbow of the intersection. The top half of the sign, featuring arms pointing in four directions, lay in the weeds nearby. Ahroheim tried to fix the broken sign but couldn't figure it out. Luca managed to do so.
When the two parts of the sign were aligned and rejoined, the arms indicated KREZK and TSOLENKA PASS were to the southwest, LAKE BARATOK to the northwest, VALLAKI and RAVENLOFT to the northeast, and BEREZ to the southeast. The group chose to take the southwest road.
Within a mile or so, the group came upon a strange sight. Through the mist appeared a skeletal warhorse and rider, both clad in ruined chainmail. An unlit rusted lantern hung from the saddle. The group readied themselves for battle but none came. The rider glanced at the party as it slowly rode past them, and headed in the direction from which they came.
After another mile, the group came upon a fork in the road. The road split south and northwest. Luca tried to look for any signs which could indicate which of the two roads travelers used most. However, the rain turned the road to mud washing away any tracks that may have been there. Uncertain, the group chose to follow the road south.
After a short while, the winding branch of the Old Svalich Road meandered up the forested slope of a mountain spur to an old mansion, which was perched on high ground overlooking the Svalich Woods and the Luna River valley.
High above the river valley jutted a quiet promontory upon which loomed a sepulchral mansion, its turrets capped with fairytale cones, its towers lined with sculpted battlements. A third of the structure had collapsed, as had part of the roof, but the rest appeared intact. A dark, octagonal tower rose above the surrounding architecture.
Suddenly, out of the fog came a distant peal of thunder, quickly accompanied by the howling of wolves in the woods below, but the house stood silent, seeming like the fossilized remains of some long-dead thing smote upon the mountainside.
Wanting to get out of the rain which began to fall harder, the group decided to enter the mansion.
Session played on March 24, 2020
Plot type
Chapter
Parent Plot
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