(G320 15/07/2017 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF, MJ) RL7

(G320 15/07/2017 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF, MJ) RL7

Back to my adventures in Barovia.

DAY 344 (11th Alturaik)(February) cont ...

Well, I took 'Fluffy' back downstairs and formally introduced him to everyone. He seems to be a very friendly sort of young fellow and got on well with not only Sylvia, Ashlyn, Yli and Tie-Pie but also everyone in the Inn.

After some discussion with my fellows we decided we should go and see Ireena first. I talked to the barman and Ismark (her brother) about how best to get there and what to expect before we left.

Basically just go down the street to the house at the end of it. Ismark had no message to send and seemed to wish nothing more to continue drinking himself into senselessness. The land lord also told us there was a house on the way where a lady called 'Mad Mary' lived.

Ireena, you may recall was currently keeping vigil over her dead father, the former Burgomaster of Barovia.

At about eleven o'clock in the morning we walked down the southern street, boldly keeping to the centre of it, as if challenging the undead to attack us.

Yli, with his sharp hearing, heard the sounds of undead groaning from one of the houses and we went in to take a look. I was first through the side door of the house and was attacked by some undead rats. One attached itself to my leg with its nasty little claws!

I slashed at it with my scimitar and then Yli shot at it. Finally Tie-pie blasted it off with a scorching ray, absolutely ruining my trousers as dead rat bits splattered everywhere.

I summoned some bears as more rats appeared. Then one of those giant maggot things came out of the other house and I cast hypothermia at it. This showered Tie-Pie in half frozen undead maggot chunks. The alley we were in was turning into a charnel house.

As zombies entered the combat, myself and Tie-Pie both summoned flaming spheres (it was a wonder we didn't burn the house down, but I suppose it was damp and cold due to it being winter) and sent them and the bears after them.
It was a stinking chaos of undead critters, zombies, bears and spheres, but at least none of us were hurt after the end of it. After the fighting ended we searched the building and found some magical items, a bow and a pair of boots.

A few doors down from here we passed a house where we heard sobbing coming from and assumed it to be the residence of Mad Mary. At the back of the building I removed the planks from the door then Fluffy tried to barge it open and failed. Tie-pie then took a run at it and bounced off then just as I was about to cast 'Wood Shape' Yli barreled in and knocked it open with a shoulder charge.

The sobbing was coming from upstairs and we quietly traced it to its source, a room full of pink furnishings, toy unicorns and a big fairy castle that any little girl would have been delighted to play with. There was also a girl's bed with a canopy, dozens of dolls arranged on it.
Light filtered into the room from the shutters and fell on and old woman sat on the floor crying.

Initially I went in alone and quietly said, 'Hello.'
Once I got her talking she rambled on for some time about her daughter Gertruda and how she had gone up to the castle, or had been taken there.
'The master of the castle has her and I fear the worst is yet to come...'
'What is the worst?' I ventured.
She wailed in reply.

I stepped back and Sylvia checked her over for general health.
'She's thin,' said Sylvia back out on the landing. 'But she appears to be eating and drinking enough to
survive.'
'Probably best just to leave her here for now.'
We agreed on this, secured the back door again and reported on her condition back at the Inn.
Apparently the locals were aware of the 'Mad Mary' situation and some of them were keeping an eye on her.

So, finally, we ended up at the ancient and half broken gates of the Kolyana mansion. It appeared to have been having a hard time, the exterior walls were clawed, burnt and stained. All the windows and doors were barricaded.

I knocked on the main door and Ireena herself answered. She was a tall, well build sort of woman. She invited us all in, saying she had heard we had rid the town of the 'blaspheme' and was happy to meet us.

The interior of the mansion was well furnished, but had not seen the attentions of a cleaner in a long while.

In the main room, her father's body lay, in a coffin and dressed in his robes of state.

She spoke of her father, the Master of the Castle (Strahd), the symbol that had protected her father up until his dead and other matters related to this.
She ended by saying that she did not know what had happened to the amulet, but that the wise woman who lived west of the town might know.

Ireena then asked if we could help take her father to the cemetery and bury him. We said yes, and the townsfolk got to see the unusual sight of a dire wolf pulling a wagon with a coffin on it up to the church.

We took it round to the cemetery and placed the coffin in the family crypt. Sylvia then performed a burial ceremony (with Ashlyn as the verger) and Ireena said some words of remembrance.

While standing there in the somber scene I noticed that the mists that shrouded the town seemed to encircle the graveyard, coming up to its edge, as if unwilling to come further.

We also noticed a nearby grave that had been recently dug up, that of Mahail Latchko.

Next we escorted Ireena back to the mansion and at her door started to say our farewells, thinking next to go see the wise woman.

I asked her, 'Will you be safe here though? I mean, can we offer any further help?'
'With the dead not rising from their graves the town is much safer,' she replied.
'What about Strahd?' I pushed.
She gave a non-committal answer, but this triggered suspicions in Sylvia who said, 'Show me your neck.'

At first Ireena was shocked, but I could see she was wearing a dress with a high collar.
'If you don't mind,' I said gently.

She revealed her neck and it had two puncture wounds on it, the sign of a vampire bite.
'I've had such awful dreams! On two separate nights, he has come to me. He calls me Titania!'
She told us more about the dreams and that if she was bitten again she would fall under his thrall.

Well, I was at a loss what to do with her, but it turns out she has been trained as a fighter. I suppose I hadn't really noticed before, but Ireena - she's a big girl! And well muscled, she really looked that  given a sword and a suit of full plate she would be handy in a fight.

It was decided that she would join us.

Tramp Sandwich

Tramp Sandwich

I'm not sure how old I was, but if I had to guess I'd say it was between eight and ten.
But if I was as young as six or as old as thirteen that would be possible too.

Anyway, one day a genuine tramp turned up to the gate. He was an old fellow, dressed in a tatty suit. Back then most old men seemed to wear full suits though, whatever their background. I think even papa wore a suit when he was out on the farm.

The old fellow was looking for work, so mum or dad gave him a hoe and he dug up some  weeds from the gravel for a while. He didn't over-exert himself. I watched him for a bit as he poked at the ground with the hoe.

After that he was then give a fiver, a cheese sandwich and a cup of tea. I guess a fiver was worth about twenty quid back then.

Now this old fellow, I assume, was not merely a homeless person, he was a proper tramp in the mold of the guys from the Two Ronnies sketch. Rural homeless I guess, but on the move. Where had he come from and where was he going?

Was he a seasonal worker? Had he led his entire life like this, always on the move? Or was he only recently homeless? I think he'd been at it a while, looking at him.

Although this was unusual for the time (80s) it was accepted, Aunt Chrisse would have been alive at that time and she would remember Scotland when it was full of tinkers, peddlers and other people that moved about like that.
I'm sure mum, as a little girl, would remember a time when folk would come to the farm looking for work. Seasonal workers for sure, and possibly tinkers?

Today though, what would people's reaction be? If a man in his late 60s or even 70s turned up at the door, the very picture of a tamp, looking for work in return for a fiver and a sandwich?
You'd call someone wouldn't you? We take care of old people better than that these days don't we?

Have we lost something along the way though? I've read books (Down and Out in Paris and London, The Grapes of Wrath) and seen films (Sullivan's Travels) about a life on the road. Was there ever a time when it was romantic? Probably not, to be honest, outside of Hollywood.

I'm no expert (and I live near the city now) but it seems to me, the homeless people you see  these days are that way because of drugs or drink, or they are mysterious Eastern Europeans  shipped over here to beg the main street on a Saturday night. I don't know the story of any of them, but I should imagine they all have a home (of some description) to go to if they wanted.

Whoever they are, they are not the remnants of a by-gone era of Scottish traveller folk and  whoever this guy was, he was already a relic of the past back then and we never saw anyone  else like him in Dalry, that I remember anyway.

As a little boy, I remember observing that the life of a tramp must be tough when all you get to eat is cheese sandwiches! I would have turned my nose at it, back then, finding it too dry.
At the very least I would have wanted some tomato or pickle in it.

These days I eat plain cheese sandwiches all the time though and I always think of them as 'Tramp Sandwiches!'

(As an aside, we get gypsies and Irish travellers at the door in Aberdeen sometimes, but they are young fellows out to do the roof or a driveway. If they are out on the links I can see their expensive looking caravans from the front garden.)

(As a further aside, I used to always give money to beggars, but now not so much because of a) I've a family to look after and every penny goes to that and b) I've seen real grinding poverty over in Indonesia and as a consequence lost a lot of sympathy for your average drunken Scottish bum on the street!)

(G319 24/06/2017 via Roll20 - AP, JF(GM), MJ, HK) WA7

(G319 24/06/2017 via Roll20 - AP, JF(GM), MJ, HK) WA7

DAY 292 (27th Nightal)(December) cont ...

Our story about the adventures of Fenrir and Arahel in Westgate continues with the introduction of another character - a sailor by the name of Fylker ibn Fahrad of Amn.

His ship arrived in Westgate around noon of this day and deciding that this city was as good a place as any to lie low for a while (he had very good reasons for leaving Amn!) he headed into a nearby tavern to lubricate his dry throat and look for work.

As luck would have it he bumped into Shady Doug (you may remember this was one of Harvel's contacts who also gave Fenrir a solid gold racing tip).

Shady Doug eyed up Fylker and deduced he was a pretty handy sort of fellow and said to him, 'You could go and ask at the cottage on Rose Street. The guy is called Fenrir and his wee pal is called Arahel. They hired my old chum Harvel so maybe they would hire you too.'

Fylker finished his drink and headed up there, arriving at the cottage while Fenrir and Arahel were finishing lunch.

When he answered the door Fenrir saw a young man in his late twenties, he wore light armour over a well muscled body and wore a falchion at his belt. Fenrir invited him in and they discussed the terms of his hiring.

After about an hour of chat Fenrir felt confident Fylker was on the level and a fairly competent swordsman.

Since Fenrir had plans to hunt out the Night Parade they all decided to hit the magic shop first (Gondeth's Mageries) to stock up on potions and the like.
This also prompted the following conversation:
'You have a magic bedroll right?' asked Fenrir pointing to one on a shelf.
'No.'
'Why not?'
'They just make you sleep better right? For five hundred gold that's not much benefit. I always sleep well enough.'
'No way! You need it. It is like the Endure Elements spell every night and if you've been injured in a fight then you feel much more healed in the morning.'
'Nah...'
'Listen, I don't want to make a big deal out of this, but buy the bed roll or we part ways right here and now.'
'Err... well, ok then. If it means that much to you!'

After they had finished all their shopping they went directly to the house on Fish Street. Initially it was hard to find as (they found this out later) a member of the Night Parade called Deldana could generate a confusion aura around the building to make weak minded people unable to see it.

Needless to say, they did not find it immediately and it took Arahel to point it out to the other two.

At the entrance they found one main door and two side doors. They opted for the right hand side door to start with. As he entered Fylker was spotted by Rodor of the Night Parade who started to sing a magical song that fascinated the tough (but weak willed) warrior. Fylker, a dervish, started to whirl around and around, dancing to the song.

Fenrir, trying to take the peaceful option, turned his charm onto Rodor (who appeared as a hooded man) who then ran away to a door in the corner and left the room.

Fylker came to his senses and they followed after Rodor. Along the next corridor of this strange and sinister house the met another member of the Night Parade. This nightmare of a man had no lips or eyes and his teeth were constantly chattering. Fenrir tried to talk to him though and he pointed them to another door and corridor.

They decided to go back out and try the left hand side door at the entrance. Here they were met by Deldana (who appeared as a young girl with no eyes) hiding in the corner of a coach house. She was started and used her powers to confuse Fylker, who then attacked Arahel. She dodged his blows though and turned into a lion. Fylker then babbled  and ran down the street.
After a few seconds though he came to his senses and came back to the house muttering to himself.
He realised he was not off to a great start! But then, he was better in the heat of battle, he remembered, not dealing with strange extra-planar beings.

Meanwhile, Fenrir had talked to Deldana and was told where to go to meet the leader of the Parade in Westgate. They passed through an office (and looted it of magical scrolls!) and then into a large central corridor.

A Parader that appeared as a man with spikes in his head attacked them, but Fylker cut him down with a few blows of his falchion.

After a bit more door and corridor action they arrived at the main room where the rest of the house's denizens were located, including their leader, someone who appeared as a sultry grey skinned female known as Bezebelle. Fenrir turned on the charm and soon had a dialogue going.

She agreed to tell them the location of the Snake Gate Portal in return for helping rescue one of their members (a diaboli known as Bwabazwards) who was being held by the Fire Knives in Castle Cormaeril.  Once business was attended to, Fenrir talked to her privately and tried to seduce her. She told him to ask again once they had returned her friend.

Their dealings with the Night Parade complete they decided to head to the eastern part of town where Nebulus's house was. Arahel continued to be a lion. To appear more 'normal' Fylker made a lead for her out of a length of rope.

Lions are seen from time to time in Westgate, usually in a cage though, and I suppose a powerful druid may well have brought one in on occasion as an animal companion, but it was still not long before they drew the interest of a patrol of watchmen.

Arahel did a 'cute kitty' routine and after Fenrir paid a bribe and received a 'licence' they went
on their way.

At the house of Nebulus the doorman hurried them inside and Nebulus came to meet them and for the first time since they had known him he seemed to loose his cool.
'I'm lying low you idiots and you come to my house like a travelling circus!'

Once he had calmed down he said, 'Listen you can both fly right? I'll leave a top window slightly open, from now on come through there and make sure no one sees you.'

Soon though, he was back to his usual jovial self and was plying them with food and wine (and a bowl of milk for the lion) and asking lots of questions of the new party member, Fylker.

He also said, 'I recently learned the Purple Lady is a Night Mask property. I'm sure they must have been spying on me. I'm staying at home until I assess the damage and set up a new base of operations.'

As they talked a little girl and boy ran past the door and Arahel noticed that each of them had small horns. Arahel was not one for tact and simply asked Nebulus about it straight out.

Nebulus replied it was a 'family thing' and would not be drawn any further on the subject.

Later, once they had left, they thought that the children were probably tieflings or part tiefling.

In the evening they went to the Jolly Warrior for dinner, the to the Purple Lady for a good time. Fylker had been at sea for months and needed to let off some steam. He spent 50 gold coins on fine wine, food and three of the Purple Ladies.

Fenrir joined him and spent 20 gold. Arahel went home early.


DAY 293 (28th Nightal)(December)

Fenrir had a hang over in the morning, but the smell of the housekeeper frying bacon woke him up and sent him down to the breakfast table.

When Arahel smelled it, for mischief, she turned into a pig and entered the kitchen saying,
'Gorza how could you!'
The housekeeper gasped in shock, but then remembered that Arahel could shapeshift.
'You little tinker! Always playing tricks on me!'
Groza seemed to take it in good humour, but still made a sign to ward off evil.

Arahel would take no bacon (being a vegetarian) and when Fylker arrived from his room he  said, 'A thousand apologies dear lady, but my religion forbids me the flesh of swine.'

'More bacon for me!' declared Fenrir rapping his knife and fork on the table.

After breakfast they went a walk. Castle Cormaeril was very near to the cottage, just a couple of streets away and plainly visible from the back garden. As they cast their eyes over it, they were approached by a young woman dressed as a sailor.

It was none other than Riz (you remember she was the rogue that was Oz's sort of girl friend for a while and then became a minor warlock minion of Bnurgstickslackskin).

She smiled and said, 'Hello Fenrir!'

She drew Fenrir away and talked to him privately. She explained that as part of her progression in the dark arts she had been sent to seek our Fenrir, her old mentor. She was now at his service.

As Fenrir contemplated the flames that seemed to burn in her eyes, he realised that his past was catching him up and that he would probably never escape the fact that the source of his powers came from the fires of hell itself.