015_20260911 Session 15

# [[015_20260911 Session 15|Session 15]] ## Scene 1: Meeting the Conjurer As the Vistani prepared the search party and Strahd's carriage waited outside [[Tser Pool]], the Gang noticed a trail of heavy but carefully placed footprints leading into the woods. The trail disappeared beneath a tree, where they spotted a Vistani woman watching them from above. [[Madam Eva]] identified her as the ally foretold by the Tarokka reading, explaining that she was not welcome in the camp. After [[Zar]] encouraged [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] to speak up, Andi called **"Hello"** to the woman, who motioned for Andi and Zar to follow her beyond earshot of the camp. Andi used `Message` along the way to apologize for being noisy; the woman replied magically, recognizing Andi as a sorcerer. The woman introduced herself as [[Esmeralda the Conjurer]], a former member of the Vistani tribe who had been following the Gang's movements. - Esmeralda had recently visited the [[Barovia (Village)|Village of Barovia]] and recognized the Gang's influence in its new barricades, scouts, and preparations for conflict. - She questioned why they expected to fare any better against [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]] than the [[Mordenkainen|Mad Mage]] or others who had challenged him. - [[Zar]] explained that their goal was not simply to overthrow Strahd, but to **help people**, which caused Esmeralda to warm to them. - After determining that [[Esmeralda the Conjurer|Esmeralda]] would not be offended, [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] asked about her unusual leg. Esmeralda offered to tell them its story—or show them. - Esmeralda shared travel food with the Gang. Andi took dried fruit for [[Piccolo]], who immediately recognized Esmeralda and enthusiastically reunited with her. - Esmeralda revealed that she knew [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rictavio]] and referred to his master as **"our master."** - To explain her history and establish trust, Esmeralda offered the Gang strange mushrooms and asked them to eat them. After taking the mushrooms, the Gang became dizzy and slipped into a shared vision drawn from Esmeralda's memories. ![[mushrooms.png|center|400]] ## Scene 2: The Twisting The shared vision brought the Gang to [[Tser Pool]] roughly **10–12 years earlier**, on the day twelve-year-old [[Esmeralda the Conjurer|Esmeralda]] underwent the Vistani coming-of-age ceremony known as the **Twisting**. - During [[Twisting]], [[Vistani]] drink the blood of their **"blood father,"** gaining their supernatural connection to [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]]. The results vary, including unusual strength, deformities, shapeshifting, and other powers. - [[Esmeralda the Conjurer|Esmeralda]] received the rare gift of **mistwalking**, allowing her to travel through Barovia's mists and between [[Barovia (the Land of)|Barovia]] and places such as [[Elturel, the Holy City|Elturel]]. - Her gift made her responsible for guiding Vistani caravans beyond Barovia—not only to trade, but also to **kidnap people and bring new souls into Strahd's realm**. - [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] challenged Esmeralda on this, pointing out that the Gang was trying to determine whom they could trust and ally with, and that this history was not especially reassuring. Esmeralda admitted that at the time she **would not have been on the Gang's side**: she had been proud to serve her tribe and Strahd. - Traveling outside Barovia eventually showed Esmeralda the reality of what the [[Vistani]] were doing. She rejected Strahd's service, escaped in [[Elturel, the Holy City|Elturel]], and met [[Erasmus van Richten]], who became the love of her life. - Erasmus's father was [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rudolf van Richten]], the monster hunter the Gang knows as [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rictavio]]. - [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]] sent vampire spawn after Esmeralda. [[Erasmus Van Richten|Erasmus]] was abducted and turned, while Esmeralda and [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rudolf]] began searching for him. - Esmeralda revealed that Strahd operates beyond Barovia through both Vistani and vampire agents, seeking "fresh blood" and turning worthy people into champions for a future army. - When Esmeralda and [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rudolf]] finally found [[Erasmus Van Richten]], he begged them to kill him rather than allow him to feed on blood. Rudolf drove a wooden stake through his son's heart. The vision then shifted to the basement where the Gang found [[Doryan (Doru) Donavich|Doru]]. Esmeralda asked whether they would be capable of doing the same to him if he could no longer control himself. Andi insisted that their plan was to [[save Doru]], as they had promised his father and his friend. ## Scene 3: Vengeance Esmeralda pressed [[Zar]] on what he meant by wanting to help people. Zar admitted that some of Barovia's suffering was connected to his own past, but refused to explain further. The shared dream forced the issue: the Gang was pulled into Zar's memory of a burning [[Stoya]], where [[Kirill Stojanovic, Zar's Hooded Figure|a hooded man with glowing amber eyes]] stood untouched amid the destruction. Zar remembered the overwhelming sense that he had failed people who had trusted him. Esmeralda recognized the hooded man and used the memory to continue her own story. - After [[Erasmus Van Richten|Erasmus]]'s death, [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rudolf van Richten]] trained Esmeralda as a monster hunter. Both were consumed by rage and began hunting Strahd's agents in [[Elturel, the Holy City|Elturel]] and Barovia. - ![[Lord Cassian Velmire-1791347689470.webp|right|323]]Damage in Erasmus's home matched the marks left by vampire spawn. The Gang also recognized the heraldry of [[Lord Cassian Velmire]], revealing that the man who displaced Erno's father and married his mother is **Strahd's delegate in Elturel** and was responsible for turning Erasmus. - Esmeralda and Rudolf eventually hunted werewolves near [[Kresk]]. Esmeralda learned that Barovia's various "monsters" do not necessarily share the same loyalties or goals, but Rudolf increasingly saw them all as abominations responsible for his son's death. - When they found a den containing werewolf children, [[Esmeralda the Conjurer|Esmeralda]] refused to kill them. The [[Kirill Stojanovic, Zar's Hooded Figure|hooded werewolf]] from Zar's memory attacked her and bit her leg. - Knowing she would otherwise become a werewolf, Esmeralda **cut off her own leg** and crawled back to Rudolf. Rather than comfort her, he called her weak for sparing the werewolves and useless because she had lost a leg. - Esmeralda later recovered in Faerûn, where an Elturian artificer constructed her mechanical replacement leg. Esmeralda has now returned to Barovia because she learned that [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rudolf]] entered the land on his own. She fears that his desire for revenge has become so absolute that he is willing to sacrifice Vistani and Barovians alike if it means destroying [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]]. The Gang then learned that [[Tame Rictavio's Sabre Tooth Tiger|the large black sabre-toothed tiger they once helped Rictavio tame]] is intended to be trained to attack Vistani on sight. Esmeralda wanted to find him after learning that he had gone to [[Vallaki]]. As the conversation continued, the dream shifted again, this time into a place drawn from Andi's memories: the kitchen of her temple. ## Scene 4: Kelemvor's Kitchen The shared dream shifted into the kitchen of Andi's temple, a place she associates with safety and comfort. There, [[Esmeralda the Conjurer|Esmeralda]] continued questioning what kind of people the Gang intended to become as they fought [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]]. - Esmeralda argued that the line between **monster and monster hunter** is much thinner than it appears: what matters is not claws, fangs, or red eyes, but what someone chooses to do when frightened, desperate, or cornered. - She identified the hooded man from Zar's memories as [[Kirill Stojanovic]], son of the Burgomaester of [[Stoya]]. - According to Esmeralda, Kirill became tired of [[Stoya]] being constantly attacked and eventually decided to turn its people into **werewolves so they could defend themselves**. - Esmeralda compared Kirill's reasoning to the Vistani's relationship with Strahd: both were born from people seeking safety and accepting protection from someone more frightening than the dangers around them. - She observed that people who have lived in fear for long enough may struggle to imagine a savior who is not himself frightening. - Esmeralda contrasted this with the Gang's actions in the [[Barovia (Village)|Village of Barovia]], particularly Zar's message of hope and Andi's efforts to bring people together. She believed they might be capable of building something different, but warned them not to follow [[Rictavio Van Richten|Van Richten]] down the path of fear and vengeance. Esmeralda then turned to Zar's upcoming visit to [[Castle Ravenloft]]. Zar admitted that he did not have much of a plan. - Esmeralda believes that **Strahd must be afraid of something**, and that discovering and exploiting that fear may be more useful than confronting him directly. - The Gang discussed whether the missing dragon skull might be something worth looking for while inside [[Castle Ravenloft]]. - Esmeralda warned them not to let [[Rictavio Van Richten|Van Richten]] get hold of [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]], as he might be willing to use her as bait if she really is the reincarnation of Strahd's lost love. Before the conversation could continue, the mists of the shared dream thickened and another presence forced its way inside. ## Scene 5: Gideon at Kresk The shared dream was interrupted by another presence. [[Zar]] was pulled away from the others and found himself in a cemetery beside an alchemical laboratory at the [[Abbey of Saint Markovia]] in [[Kresk]], where a faceless figure in immaculate white robes was digging up corpses and carrying body parts inside. The figure introduced himself as [[Gideon]], the man Zar had previously been told to seek in Kresk. - Gideon has spent the last several months encouraging the people of Kresk to prepare for rebellion. The town is now heavily fortified and guarded, though its people appear more interested in defending themselves than marching on [[Castle Ravenloft]]. - Gideon is using necromancy and artificer techniques to assemble a humanoid body from corpses. - His plan is to create a **bride for [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]]** and use her to infiltrate the castle before betraying him. - The problem is that Strahd does not want just any bride: Gideon believes he wants [[Tatyana Ravenov|Tatyana]] specifically. Gideon therefore wants access to the remains of one of Tatyana's previous incarnations so he can reconstruct her appearance. - Gideon believes direct confrontation with Strahd is hopeless. He cited both [[Jander Sunstar|Jander]] and the [[Mordenkainen|Mad Mage]] as powerful figures who failed, arguing that Strahd must instead be defeated through **deception and subterfuge**. - Gideon said Jander came to Barovia roughly a century ago in Barovian time, tried to revive the faith of the [[Morninglord (Temple)|Morninglord]], grew close to Strahd, and ultimately failed when he confronted him directly. - Andi eventually entered Gideon's part of the dream as well. She noticed that his religious symbol depicts a sun formed from angelic wings. - Gideon claimed that **his god is absent from Barovia** and that he intends to bring him back, no matter what it takes. Gideon challenged the Gang's lack of a concrete plan for defeating Strahd and told them to return to him once they had one. ## Scene 6: Lake Zarovich But Also... Mad Mage, Are You My Father? The dream shifted again, placing the Gang high above Barovia near [[Lake Zarovich]]. From above, they saw fishermen throwing small, moving objects from sacks into the lake to distract the ghostly figures in the water while they fished. [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] could not determine whether the objects were the missing children. The Gang then encountered the missing [[Mordenkainen]] alive but severely weakened and apparently mentally unstable after his defeat by [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]]. It was a miracle he somehow astrally projected himself into the gang's fungadelic hallucination. - Mordenkainen has been hiding in a cave on [[Balinok Mountains|Mount Baratok]] for a little over a year. - During the [[Battle at the Gates]], he fought Strahd directly over [[Castle Ravenloft]]. Although Strahd defeated him and the army he had raised, Mordenkainen managed to steal the enormous **dragon skull** from the castle. - Mordenkainen believes the dragon associated with the skull was once capable of fighting Strahd as an equal, and that **resurrecting it may provide a way to defeat Strahd**. - This confirms that the missing dragon skull is no longer inside Castle Ravenloft. - Mordenkainen described himself as **Mordenkainen of the Circle of Eight** and the **Wizard of Earth**. - He recognized [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] as a sorcerer and appeared to recognize her resemblance to [[Andraste Amo|her mother]], whom he remembered meeting in [[Elturel, the Holy City|Elturel]] years earlier. - His memories were extremely fragmented. At one point he remembered a baby and wondered whether it had been his, then told Andi that someone of his **bloodline** could wield his **silver fire**. #Andi - He urged Andi to learn to use **silver fire** and come find him. - Andi tried to ask Mordenkainen about the [[Save Doru|cure for vampirism]] mentioned in his writings, but he was too confused to remember anything useful. ## Scene 7: Khazan's Tower After leaving [[Mordenkainen]], Andi tried to use the shared dream to find [[Khazan's Tower]]. Instead, the projection seemed to lock onto [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rictavio]] and brought the Gang to an old tower standing in the middle of a small lake west of [[Kresk]]. Hanging from the tower door was the dried, still-living head of [[Mahiji]]. - Mahiji initially assumed the unseen presence belonged to [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]] or one of his brides. [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] played along, introducing herself as a voice in the mist--the voice of a new bride with the most intimidating name she could think of: **Bruscilla**. - Mahiji confessed that he had accepted a bribe and helped an outsider enter Barovia. That outsider was [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rudolf van Richten]], now operating under the name [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rictavio]]. - According to Mahiji, Rudolf killed his companion, reduced Mahiji to his current state, and left his head alive to guard the tower. - Rudolf has taken possession of the equipment and research belonging to the old wizard [[Khazan]]. - Mahiji said the tower contains **plans of Castle Ravenloft** and notes concerning the **curse** and something he called "the **feyns**." - Mahiji believes Rudolf is searching the tower for a secret capable of destroying Strahd. - He confirmed that Rudolf is currently in [[Vallaki]], disguised as a circus performer. - Mahiji also believes Rictavio is attempting to get close to the **wereravens**. - He knew about Rictavio's tiger, horse, and [[Piccolo]], and strongly disliked Piccolo. - Mahiji suggested that [[Rictavio Van Richten|Rictavio]] had found some of the [[Mordenkainen|Mad Mage]]'s work and intended to continue or complete it. Mahiji asked whether the Gang could rescue him, particularly by recovering his body. He also claimed that he could open the tower on command and allow someone inside. Still "disguised" as Bruscilla, Andi told [[Mahiji]] to await her helper, a young girl who would be sent to do Strahd's bidding. ## Scene 8: The Prisoner in Castle Ravenloft Zar attempted to project into [[Castle Ravenloft]], but instead the mists brought the Gang to a dungeon cell containing one of the werewolves [[Zar]] had encountered at [[Stoya]]. The prisoner had already been a werewolf before the attack and was one of those Zar had helped rescue from the caves. Believing the Gang might be agents of [[Kirill Stojanovic]], the prisoner revealed deep divisions among the werewolves. - He remained loyal to his people but despised [[Kirill Stojanovic|Kirill]], whom he called a **child slayer**. - Kirill has apparently been experimenting on children in an attempt to create an **"ultimate warrior"** or a new **Dukar**—a term also used by the Vistani for a terrifying or dark messianic figure associated with [[Mother Night]]. - The prisoner believed children should be turned into werewolves so they could protect themselves and join the followers of Mother Night, but opposed Kirill's attempts to use them in his experiments. - Zar successfully deceived him into revealing the location of an **abandoned werewolf den**. - He asked that a woman named [[Suleika]] be told that he loved her and that she should prevent [[Kirill Stojanovic|Kirill]] from harming any more of their children. - He believed Suleika should **challenge Kirill for leadership** of the werewolves. The prisoner also revealed that the werewolves do not regard Strahd as their rightful ruler. - He called Strahd a **false prophet** and a usurper of Mother Night's authority. - He believed the unrest developing across Barovia could create an opportunity for the werewolves to expand their influence and possibly move against Strahd. - He argued that they should stop concentrating on children, convert adults instead, and spread the worship of [[Mother Night]]. - He knew that Strahd had invited a paladin and a nobleman from outside Barovia to dinner and believed the growing unrest surrounding the newcomers might divide Strahd's attention. The prisoner had been captured while hunting near [[Vallaki]]. After being injured, he fled into the woods and was found by [[Strahd von Zarovich#Brides|Anastasia]], who brought him to Castle Ravenloft. He also confirmed that the **dragon skull was no longer in the castle**, leading him independently to conclude that the [[Mordenkainen|Mad Mage]] had survived and taken it. Before the dream ended, the Gang asked about Castle Ravenloft itself. - The main approach crosses a heavily guarded drawbridge, making a direct assault extremely difficult. - The prisoner mentioned the [[Devil's Garden]] as a possible alternate approach. - There is also a **servants' entrance** at the rear of the castle. With that, the mushrooms began to wear off and the Gang returned to the waking world. ## New Quests   - [[Find Suleika]] - [[Investigate Khazan's Tower]] - [[Learn Silver Fire]] - [[Seek Mordenkainen at Mount Baratok]]  ## Quests With Deadlines   | Quest | Deadline | Days Left | Hours Left | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | --------- | ------------------ | | [[Retrieve a stolen gem for Stafania Martikova]] | 0713-12-13 | 2.49 | 59.666666666666664 |  ## Main Quests   - [[Gather allies against Strahd]] - [[Create a base of operations in Barovia]]  ## Time-Sensitive Quests   - [[Find Arabelle]] - [[Find Gertruda]] - [[Save Doru]] - [[Look for missing children in Stoya]]  ## Social Calendar   | Event | Description | Date | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------- | | [[Boy Dinner at the Castle]] | Strahd sent a formal invitation for Zar and Erno to dine with him at Castle Ravenloft, promising safe passage and hinting that he may be able to help them return home. The visit will mark the Gang’s first formal meeting with Strahd and may reveal more about his interest in them and the larger mysteries surrounding Barovia. | 0713-12-11 | | [[Wolf's Head Jamboree]] | Rictavio and Mahiji invited the Gang to an event in Vallaki to help everyone celebrate as they conquer their fear of wolves. | 0714-01-14 | | [[Ceremony at Yester Hill]] | Sister Olivenka invited the Gang to a ceremony to be held on the 12th of Fivral in the year 0714 at Yester Hill. According to Zar, this may also be Strahd's birthday? | 0714-02-12 |