Day 37: Windmills and the Fish who Fight in Them
General Summary
Day 37 (Хололуна 13, 735/?)
That night, Bodaway dreams of the reformer he and the others never met: Krea Commonbrook. He learns a little more of what came to pass at the Reformation Centre the day Strahd decided to dismantle it, and realizes Krea was the one unknown vampire spawn who had been hitched to Strahd's carriage after their dinner with the devil. He also realizes Krea had been on the verge of deciding to help the party when they chose to flee Vallaki, taking Savva and the others with them. While Bodaway dreams, Ayduin and Ri-An keep watch, and working together construct fashionable little booties for Grghshnq. A few hours before dawn, each of the party members receives a burst of excess energy and vitality from Bodaway, though by the time they awake, Sylvain and Osrin have lost its benefits. The day is full of snow and wind, and the party begins trudging their way to the windmill. As they pass through the gates of Barovia, they spot a pair of blue-marked faces observing them from the woods, who flee when Ayduin waves. About an hour from the windmill, Sylvain distributes doses of Ireena's scented bath oils for people to have over their noses, to help counter any effects from the smell of the pies. Bodaway is temporarily four Bodaways, but Osrin manages to punch him all the same. Any mirth from this moment, however, is quickly lost when they round a bend and find thirty-two severed heads on pikes lining the next 100 feet of road. Many of them marked in blue paint, only one of them is familiar: the red-haired druid who helped save Bodaway's life at the winery, who Osrin unwillingly resurrected while still in Sykane's grips. Ranging from the very young to the very old, and including a single dusk elf also marked with blue paint, the party does not know who exactly these people are, or how they ended up here, but one by one they remove the heads from the pikes (with some difficulty), discussing whether or not to burn them, and ultimately deciding to set them respectfully off the side of the road, lightly covered in snow. In a decidedly somber mood, they press on to the windmill, approaching with caution. Initial recon lets them know a little old lady is on the second floor, and Sylvain goes to knock at the door, most of his party hiding out of sight. A little old lady does indeed answer, but it's not the little old lady they're expecting. All the same, this бабушка is just as sweet and motherly as Granny, ushering Sylvain, Osrin, and Chuckles inside out of the cold. While Sylvain speaks with her, trying to get information, the others poke around outside. Bodaway knocks at the window Sylvain peeked through, and they realize that there are at least two little old ladies here in the windmill. According to Sylvain and Osrin's little old lady, it's actually three — her mother Granny, her sister, and herself. Finally, pretending to sip wine, Sylvain and Osrin thank her for her hospitality, apologize for the intrusion, and go off to discuss with the others in an unexpected potential sanctuary: a circle of megaliths about 100 feet behind the windmill, similar in construction to the sanctuary by Berez and the stone circle at Yester Hill. The party agrees that something is up with these little old ladies, and something must be done. Before they've landed on a conclusive plan, however, they notice some details about the megaliths: first, that they are most certainly an ancient monument to the Ladies Three, and second, that it is littered with teeth. Humanoid teeth, to be specific. Juvenile humanoid teeth, to be very specific. A battle ensues that involves some tremendous feats of mobility, some interplanar. Sylvain is a fish, and then a punny bride. Bodaway plays interplanar hide and seek with Night Hags. Ayduin jumps out of a window. Ri-An's greatest rival, stairs, make a horrific return. Osrin unwillingly adopts three children. By the end of it, only one bloodied Night Hag remains, and despite Sylvain's offer of "would you like to fight a bunch of vampires for us," she flees with the impression that our heroes are nigh-unkillable thanks to the burst of temporary hit points that was one of Bodaway's last magical hurrahs. They spend the evening destroying pies, gathering clothing, and soothing children. Bodaway spends a minute being mechanically frightened of a nine-year-old. Sylvain gives that nine-year-old some beer (these facts are mostly unrelated). Zsolt establishes his main two character traits of crying and imprinting. Eventually, the party rests, with Ayduin dreaming of Barovia in spring and Ri-An having the most restful not-sleep they've ever had.
Report Date
20 Jun 2022
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