We last left our prospective heroes at dawn in Barovia village. They proceeded to have a busy morning.
At the Vine tavern over cheap pastries and coffee, BeeDee and the acolyte Donavich had a discussion regarding Doru, the acolyte's son. BeeDee learned Doru had been turned into a vampire spawn by Strahd. The fledgling vampire had been locked in a cellar under the church by the father/son Ismark team. Ismark the lesser theorized Doru had not fed for a long period of time and would be hungry.
BeeDee convinced Donavich to begin Holy Water manufacturing for the task of cleansing the church. BeeDee received the keys to the church. Donavich cracked the wine cask early.
Zelda rushed back to the party's safe house to wake the others and get a-questing.
Morgantha
Mordigan, Alex and Koban woke to the sound of rolling wheels and the smells of delicious baked goods. A woman was selling coffee and pastries door to door.
Mordigan answered the door at the furniture shop when the woman knocked.
Morgantha, who was weathered from travel and quite ugly, introduced herself as one of the owner/operators of The Windmill. She had basic pastries and coffee for sale. She had another baked good that interested Mordigan. A narcotic "dream pastry." He bought one.
The friendly-but-hideous woman continued down the row of houses, stopping at occupied doors. She knocked on another neighbors door and sold them half a dozen dream pastries. After a wait and some commotion inside the home, Morgantha took payment in a wriggling sack, and carried on her cheerful way.
The party met up with Ismark and Muriel in the center of town. Ismark was preparing to flee the village the following morning and head west to Vallaki. Zelda and Muriel discussed Muriel's transformative abilities. Zelda petted the supply mule. Ismark gave the party a side-quest.
Still early in the morning, the party set out to the swamps south of town and further investigated a site they had seen on their journey on Day 1. A dwarven cart had crashed into the cold swampy water.
The party attempted to salvage the wreck, which lay snapped in half at the bottom of the pool, 15 feet down. Z+M dove in and fixed rope to the wheels. The party dragged the cart on land in two pieces and achieved the primary objective, the nice dwarven wheels.
Their solution ended up spraying the contents of the cart on the swamp floor. After diving to retrieve those items, the party attracted the horrible tentacled monster they had seen last time. A skirmish ensued at the water's edge. The party suffered acid and tentacle attacks, but wounded the beast, allowing them to loot the site.
While traveling to and from the swamp, the party had some encounters:
a half dug grave
a spooky table.
Z+M looted the grave. Z took a loaf of bread from the table. BD led Last Rights on the grave.
The weather began to turn sour as the party moved back into town. Storm clouds begin to cover the valley.
The party rested and explored a few nearby houses. Z checked out the junkie house. M found a few dwellings with signs of life.
The party had mixed results at the village's only FULLY LICENSED mercantile shop. 3/5 members got kicked out.
Next, the party met Ismark for the day's
big task - to acquire weapons and funds for the dangerous days ahead.
Ismark's briefing:
"As I told you at the tavern yesterday, the Durst family has always followed their own path. Some years ago it was an open secret in the town that the Dursts had brushed with dark powers and had used their wealth and influence to build a cult.
It was fashionable for a time for merchants and well-off Barovian citizens to initiate themselves into the Durst order. It was rumored they conducted dark rituals and contacted greater beings in search of anything they could use to resist Strahd's tyranny. Their meetings were rumored to be held in the Durst Crypt.
The citizens I suspected of being cult members have slowly disappeared, I don't know how many are left. I searched for the Crypts in the graveyard the day you arrived, and found the grass around it unblemished, the dust undisturbed.
The last I saw of Master Gustav and Elizabeth, the heads of the Durst family, was a month ago. We saw their daughter, Gertruda, at the mansion last night. She seemed to command the family estate.
The wealth of the Dursts is common knowledge within the valley. In addition to anything else waiting for us, it will probably have defenses and traps. I only want the weapons that are rumored to be within."
Ismark led the party north of town, past the church, and into the middle of the Graveyard. As Ismark led the party west towards a small stone structure, the lightning flashed and rain began to fall.
