<< December 4, 2021 | Notes | October 22, 2021 >>

Percy summons an imp to see if it can see into the ethereal plane. It seems to not be able to see or hear into it. Percy kills it and mentions that with a sufficiently magical item, he could spy on Fiona from afar. Dren doesn't want to let Percy try to use the orb.

--- WACHTERHAUS ---
Dren, Gale, and Percy pop into the ethereal plane and head to Fiona's. The streets seem unusually silent.

Slouching roof, sagging moss-covered walls. Groaning. probably 2 floors. Gale and Percy scope out the exterior. Gale finds no traps on the outer doors. Percy gives Gale the Wand of Secrets. Gale goes in through the back door, ethereally.

The small back room has doors leading to three other rooms. The southern door leads to a small room with servants' clothing hanging on the wall. The western door leads to a servants' room with four beds and four sleeping servants. The southern door of that room leads to a furnished room with couches and a black glass table. Above the fireplace is a portrait of a smirking nobleman with a broken nose and silver hair. Other portraits are of the family. Man seems to be the father. Watchers seem to have a sister that we have never seen who is younger than them -- probably 20s now. Some pictures of her as a teen but none as an adult. The room leads into a dining room with an ornate table stretching the length of the room with a crystal chandelier. The dishes are chipped and the silver is tarnished.

The dining room has a stained glass door leading to a wooden staircase. The stairwell has a stained glass door leading to the front foyer to the south. To the east is the kitchen. The kitchen has a storage room with barrels of Red Dragon Crush.

The stairs lead to a balcony with walls festooned with mirrors and portraits. Something scratches at the double doors. Peaking in, there are a number of black cats in the room (8). It appears to be a library. Percy explores the whole library while Dren and Gale explore the house. Books: bestiaries, novels, historical texts, theological, heretical, bios. Percy takes a book on strahd, a weird demon book, and a book on mother night.

The next room has a bed with leather straps on it. There is a girl in the corner, sleeping. The straps are not broken. She looks like the girl from the portraits.

South of her room is Nikolaj's.

To the east of the stairs is a room with a fireplace, above which is a family portrait. A closet and a framed mirror. A wide canopy bed with oil lamps on either side. Fiona in the bed. A man in black in the bed, his eyes covered with copper pieces. Looks like the man in the portraits. Gale and Dren discuss killing Fiona right now, and then do it. The copper pieces fall off of the man's eyes.

Gale and Dren tell Percy that we need to leave. Percy enters Fiona's room and hides a bloody shirt of Izek's and one of his dolls in her closet. Tries to make it look hidden. Fiona's imp comes in and investigates. Percy enters the material plane and kills it. He sees the body and notices magic on it -- he thinks it has been Gentle Reposed. He puts the coins back onto the man's eyes and leaves.

--- BELLERAND ---
Bellerand is in Barovia showing Izek around the sub-basement that he is digging. He is growing fungus plots to brew his addictive drink for the town. He explains to Izek that he is going to go try to arrange the meeting with Ireena that he promised but that Izek must behave. Izek agrees but seems to be wavering; Bell is unsure he can trust him. He wildshapes into an owl and uses Locate Creature to find Ireena in Valleki.

He flies into the room and de-wildshapes. He tries to explain things to Ireena. Admits that we killed Izek. Ireena tells him that Valleki is not the safe place that it was before; that people say that Fiona is in league with Strahd. He tells Ireena that he brought Izek back from the dead. Tells her about the deal and she laughs at him. She gets sassy and asks if Bellerand wants to meet Strahd. She refuses and says she has no intention of going to Barovia ever again. He tells Ireena that he has a letter from her father, not to her but about her. He'll show it to her if she agrees. She agrees and says with luck she'll kill him herself this time. He gives her the letter and she tucks it away.

As Bell and Ireena meet in the alley, Bell notices a swarm of bats at the church. They go closer and see creatures clinging to the walls, bats flying into the windows trying to get in. the doors burst open, a child runs out and its head is ripped off by one of the creatures. Bell recognizes them as the same type of vampire spawn that we fought in the Amber Temple. There are 6. Bell yells out to call the citizens of Valleki to arms. He and Ireena fight the creatures. Strahd appears and kills Father Petrovich, then comes outside and commands the creatures to stop attacking Ireena. He speaks with Bell and Ireena and Ireena says that perhaps it's time to accept her fate. She walks to Strahd and they disappear. The vampire spawn kill the children of the orphanage. Bell stays behind and fights as much as he can before he runs away. The townspeople begin to come out of their houses and frightendly whisper about vampires and Strahd.