Day 53: The Many Lives of Tatyana Ostrovsky
General Summary
Day 53 (Волчаялуна 1, 736/?)
Even as the revelations of Bodaway's vision shake them, the party delves into Strahd's memories once more, suffering through all the accompanying trauma. Indeed, they spend much longer under the book's influence than usual, as its penultimate chapter reveals the many lives of Ireena Kolyana — or of Tatyana Ostrovsky, depending how you look at it. Time and time again, they become Tatyana — Feodora, Aksinya, Juraj, Savva, Marina, Antonin, Milana — and they become Strahd, along with a handful of others who've been caught in the pair's orbit over the centuries. As they set off, Ayduin notices some faint movement far above them in the mountains, but is unable to discern whether it's friend or foe. Proceeding with caution, under the cloak of his magic, they begin their journey north, following the river as best they can. Their journey is interrupted in rather rude fashion a couple of hours in, when they hear the roc approaching, though it delivers an unexpected gift: a halfling falling from above, one of Strahd's vampire spawn. The villain is promptly dispatched, and the roc flies off in search of less undead prey. They press on, passing by two points of possible descent to ground level and the cover of the trees, only to find themselves forced to turn around when the level they're travelling on reaches an impassable point. Making camp in what shelter they can find in this barren part of Barovia's permanently wintry mountainscape, they find their rest rudely interrupted by more villains: a handful of wraiths leading a pack of wolves. Ri-An magically shrinks the tree trunk they took to reach the perch they've camped on, hoping that will keep the wolves at bay at least, though this only prompts the wraiths to begin slaughtering the pack, raising a small army of spectral wolves in their stead. The battle that follows is complex but quick, leaving none of them in any particular danger, though Bodaway has to make use of his magical cloak to fly down some 200 feet to retrieve Ayduin's misplaced longbow.
Report Date
29 May 2023
Primary Location
Comments