FreemanGames Campaign Journal

Expedition to Castle Ravenloft 

Issue 4:  Part 1:  Re-Enter the Feldor or Arcanists, Tigers, and Dragons, Oh My! The Prince of Delorian receives yet another mysterious letter from Barovia.  This time from the Burgomeister himself, requesting aid for his son.  Smelling a trap, he composes a letter to the lovely Irena, and summons four quite capable though oddly matched Feldor.  In all honesty, they were the ones available, as he saw fit to leave a more rounded squad in Brindinford in the wake of the Hellmouth incident.   

In this group he has sent:

•  Nokie Quickbolt, warlock and master of the dark arts
• Omac, fire sorcerer descended from a fiendish red dragon
•  Q (Quarion Sionnodel) – Druid who shifts to tiger or hawk form to do battle
• Rach- Wyrmling copper dragon and leader of the group. 

He has grown up as a Feldor, in the care of the prince to start out. These four make their way through the dark forest path, with Nokie riding atop Q’s tiger form, they make better than expected speed.  At the magical gate, Nokie determines that the hinges are very powerful magic, as they confirm once it closes behind them barring exit from Barovia.  This also confirms the chances that the first letter was a trap. 

Meanwhile, Pebbles and Bam Bam, after three days of recovery, begin to deal with the spy in town.  The merchant who was recorded in the ledger as a servant of Strahd is apprehended without conflict.   Upon reaching town, Rach and Q take to the air to scout out the town.  They find the town is desolate.  The only life is in the town square, where baracades look at the ready.  The rest of the town is boarded up and somewhat trashed. 

The heroes enter town, down the main street heading for The Blood On the Vine Inn.  Upon entering, they are largely ignored, other than the interim Burgomeister.  He turns out to be the son of the man who sent the letter, and that his father was dead before the letter was sent.  He takes the heroes to his house, where he says the Feldor are staying with his sister,  This, of course, is the manor sized house on the end of the town. Once there, they meet and reunite with Pebbles and Bam Bam, though they quickly learn that Lex and Kenobi did not make it.  Nor did their allies from Brindinford, the Halfling avengers, Lidda and Nokie Quickfingers.  This deadly land also claimed the lives of two Lightbringers of Pelor who had joined them.  The rest of the story is told, catching up the newcomers to Strahd, and the fortune telling them what they are expected to do.  Irena decides to stay behind, being far outmatched within the castle. 

Rach suggests they revisit Madame Eva, to find the new location of the Sunsword, and perhaps even the Icon of Ravenkind.  The group agrees and sets out the next morning for the Gypsy camp. Madame Eva welcomes them back, and tells them that the Sunsword now lies with the mother of Strahd. 

Issue 4:  Part 2:  The Castle:  Second Excursion:  Day 1  

The Feldor then head back to Castle Ravenloft.  Once inside, they head to the spider-webby hall that Lidda had them avoid previously.  Once Bam-Bam, Q and Rach batter the door open, Rach checks the hallway, finding something large at the end of it.  So Omac opens up with a fireball, to be followed by a Web spell from the creature, and a netlike web on Rach by a hidden Ettercap.  Q and Bam Bam struggle with the webs to enter the fray.  Pebbles does his bardic stuff while Rach struggles to get free.  Omac keeps blasting with Fiery Burst and magic missile only to determine that the creature is a Golem immune to magic.  Q’s flaming sphere struggles to clear paths, but the golem uses its web ability.  Eventually, the heroes get free when Omac lights them on fire with a burst.  By that time, Bam Bam has engaged the Golem and hurt it severly.  Rach finishes it off with his acid breath. The hall turns out to be a dead end, and beyond the initial hallway is only stairs down.  The group then heads off to the ant tunnel off of sublevel 1.  Rach scouts it, and finds a half dozen ants in some kind of crude temple or ceremonial chamber.  The group then starts planning an assault upon it.