Thick mist left the party with little visibility and Marcus had left them for dead. Abandoned on an unfamiliar mountain ridge, Tobias, Geronimo, Ajuni, and Mormeros slowly trekked downward, praying to find shelter. Disguised amidst rock and snow, an aggressive and monstrous Giant Goat knocked Ajuni off a steep ledge for seemingly no reason, then immediately bounded back into the mists. The half-elf caught using a lightning lure, and Geronimo was able to find a rock wall that protected them from the wind. They near-immediately collapsed from exhaustion behind the shelter, resting around a bonfire that Mormeros magically maintained.
As his crew slept, the tiefling was contacted through the flame by his patron. The insane Archdevil Dharus was incensed that he could not sense Mormeros' location, but the warlock managed to smooth things over, promising to get out of Barovia as quickly as possible. Dharus' power was limited in this place, but he was able to maintain the bonfire's magic, allowing Momo a brief hint of rest. When the party woke up, they found that much of the mist had subsided. The gravelly mountain path lead to a bridge and gatehouse far below, through to a forested valley beyond it. Tobias and Ajuni pressed Mormeros on how the fire was maintained, and he divulged a bit about his pact and past, which did little to help their trust.
Trying to capitalize on their visibility, they hiked down for a full day to the spooky abandoned gatehouse blocking the valley's entrance at Tsolenka Pass. They planned to rest in a guard tower, but Ajuni felt a strange voice whisper to her that doing so would be dangerous, and that they may end up as "bird food." Instead of resting, she turned Momo invisible to scout ahead. The warlock found that portcullis was blocked by a curtain of endless green flame, but that the gatehouse was unoccupied. He temporarily dispelled the fire as Tobias went to turn the crank, but the lever magically pulled itself. The resulting loud creak awakened something - the wings of a massive Roc began to lift from the mountains beyond!
Mormeros temporarily distracted it with an illusion as the exhausted crew tried to hurriedly outrun the roc, but the great bird was gaining on them. As they ran for the treeline, a barefooted old woman came running towards them, blasting a hunting horn. She shouted at them to attack the roc, and they did so in unison as their new ally fired arrows. Seemingly afraid of the horn and not enjoying the fiery blasts levied toward it, the roc retreated, and the group ducked beyond the trees. The taciturn woman identified herself as Szabina Pokolytsch, a hunter who lived in the mountains. She offered them rest at her Cabin at the edge of Luna Lake, though refused to accompany the party, saying that she only walked alone.
The four made their way through cursed-looking woods to a modest hut where boiling goat-wolf stew awaited. As they ate and slept, Szabina popped in and out with fresh game, tending the fire and stew before departing again. Piled loose in the cabin's corner were many open scrolls, written in different languages, and Ajuni had to leaf through them. She found that they were "prophetic" poems supposedly written by Szabina's sister, though the hunter seemed to disregard them. Among the few written in common, Ajuni found stanzas regarding three sisters as well as "The Four Fires" that seemed to describe their own party, but she did not know if the sightless knight mentioned in the first line was Zandros.
Ajuni also learned that the date was the 9th of the War Moon, 735, and was provided a Barovian Calendar that did not coincide at all with where they came from. Szabina was disconcerted at the group's supposedly random arrival time, as outsiders usually "always came with the full moon". She informed them that they were trapped in Barovia, and told them the basics of the land and its master, Strahd von Zarovich. They found their new home to be constantly raining, choked with mist, and depressing. Wolf howls and Bat screeches could be heard constantly, though none seemed to ever approach the cabin. Szabina's hospitality was measured but stark, and the party felt compelled to depart, not wanting to press their luck with too many questions.
After two days of rest, they left in the morning mists, and not a half-day passed before howls converged. A pack of six Dire Wolves circled, and without Marcus, Tobias found that he alone could not adequately defend Mormeros and Ajuni from their ambush. The pack were relentless even after losing members to flame and steel, but despite being flanked and outnumbered, the party blasted their way through. As the final wolf fell, the six's skin began to split open. Hundreds of bats poured from the wolf bodies and enveloped them in a leathery black cloud. Inundated with bites and wingbeats, they fought them off valiantly, then the swarm converged into a man. A Vampire stood before them, and the afternoon's light grew dark.
Strahd von Zarovich was interested in this group, having heard tell of their arrival. They stood with quiet deference as he questioned them; once satisfied, Strahd gave Mormeros an Invitation to dine with him. Offering safe passage until their banquet, he requested a taste of Mormeros' "spicy" blood. The tiefling consented, and was nearly killed as Strahd absolutely drained him; but somehow, the four were alive when the vampire transformed back into a Swarm of Bats and left them bleeding in the mud below.
It would be a many days journey up the pass to the Raven River Crossroads. There, they would make a choice: to try their luck at the walled village of Krezk, to find shelter in the town of Vallaki, to press on to Castle Ravenloft, or to continue their search for the Silver Dragon.
Their adventures continued in COS 038 - A Blinding Light.
Word count: 985
