Session 15 – 2021-03-13

After a discussion, we decided to leave the area of the storm and move out into the main field and pick an area to conceal ourselves some and rest for about an hour.

As we leave the area, Rinn sends out Boo to scout the area below to find out where the guards at the next level are, before we go down. Adrian paces around while blowing out smoke. Kyana asks him to stop as it smells really bad. He points out that it might be of strategic importance as when he takes in a big lot of air and blows out, he gets a lot of smoke and you can’t really see through it well. Dain points out that although the smoke may offer some benefits when it comes to battle, he will never have a wife. Adrian told us he already had a wife to which Dain replied, “She’s going to want a divorce, or at least a separate room for a while.”.

Adrian suggested that surely someone can cure him of this and turned to Kyana and started to say, “couldn’t you d…?”, and then he paused. He looked at Kyana for a long moment and then asked, have we met before? She replied, “At the Winery!”, to which he stated, “No, before that!”. Kyana asked if she looked like someone. He replied, “No, it’s more of a sense than a familiarity.”. then he sort of blew it off as his brain being addled. Then he asked if there was something like a remove curse, or something else she might do to heal him of this affliction? Kyana replied that maybe she can help later but for now, she has nothing left to help with. He is very concerned about his wife at this point.

Rinn sent Boo out to scout around. It’s dark now. We can see little fires burning, here and there, along the terraces. We noted that we haven’t seen many, if any, of the races that might be able to spy us in the dark, only humans so far. It would seem that, if we stay quiet and to the shadows, we might be able to get out of here without being spotted. We don’t spot anyone on the first terrace but on the next terrace, we see some of those barbarian looking guys. We worked to stay wide and silent. Apparently, we succeeded in sneaking past the group.

We eventually make it down to the main road and head off toward the Wizard of Wines. The forest gets much more dense for the next 4 or 5 miles, then it lightens up some. Haldar hears some trampling in the woods ahead of them and a little west. Then he spots a small group of the wildmen coming towards us with a kill. Haldar rushed back to the group to let them know and they all moved off the path and stayed low to hide. Dain used Zanfyr, the big brown bear, for additional cover. And prepared a crossbow shot, just in case. Haldar stayed out of sight and moved to an off angle and prepared. Haldar made a little noise and the wildmen stopped briefly but then grunted and continued on. The sulfur smell seemed as if it might become an issue as Rinn could smell Adrian pretty well. There was concern that if the wildmen smelled that, they might move towards it to find the source. As luck would have it, the wind was blowing in another direction and they never noticed it.

After the close encounter ended with the departure of the wildment, Rinn messaged Haldar to let us know when it is safe to come out and continue on, to which Haldar replied, it is all clear. The group moved back to the road and continued on to the winery. We make it to the fields of the winery around sunrise. We make it to the main house and meet up with Davian. Stephania runs up to greet Adrian and is greeted with that smell. She backs away a little and asks what’s that about.

Adrian proceeds to tell the story of the events of the quest and the results to which Rinn pulls the gem out to return to him. Everyone around seems happy with the results, even the ravens seem to be excited by the return of the gem. As he speaks, his people slowly backed away from him. Adrian explained that he literally died on the battlefield and the through the use of the gem, we were able to save him. Davian asked, but what of this smoke? Adrian suggested that it might be a curse or something and Davian chased that with a question of us, about our ability to possibly cure him. Dain let him know that after some rest, we can try a few things.

Adrian tries to recount his experience after his death but really doesn’t remember much. He remembers shapes and sensations and feeling the presence of others around him. Vision didn’t seem to be much use here, but sensing the motion and things flitting about you was the sense that you got here. He could sense spirits moving about around him. He said it is very clear to him but also very hard to explain to someone that has never experienced it. As he looked at us he said it’s even less defined than the figures we saw in the mists from the platform up there. You can also sense elements of their personality.

Davian asked if we would like to come in and rest to which we replied yes please. They’ve cleaned it up well since we last were here. They loaded up a wagon with a supply of wine to take back with us. They still haven’t found a way to clean the poison from the wine. Anything they can think of that might help would also taint the flavor of the wine. Dain remembers that Kyana and Zanfyr mentioned that they had spells to purify foods and drink. Kyana volunteered to try it on a small batch and let them see if that would work. Fortunately, it’s a ritual and though it takes about 10 minutes to cast, they can do it over and over again.

They bring out one barrel for her to try it on. It’s suggested that maybe Adrian, with that sulfur smell, might need to go outside so as not to become a distraction during her casting. She completes the spell and Davian removes some of the wine to test. It passed the smell and color tests. Kyana shecked it for poison and found none. Davian tasted it and the wines flavor did remain unaffected by all of that. There was a lot of relief. After a good rest and a little time, “All would be well!”. We discussed that after about 4 hours of rest, Kyana would be able to resume cleaning the wine. After about 8 hours, Zanfyr would be able to assist in completing the task. We were shown to an area where we rested.

We rested all day and all night. The next morning the staff was busy working the fields. There was no sign of progress with the replacement of the gem, but it’s only been a short while and they feel that it will recover soon. Davian, Adrian, and Elvir were sitting together, sort of, but Adrian was still a little smokey and they kept their distance from him. We ate a good meal and after some morning pleasantries, Adrian asked us what our intentions were. Dain told him that we originally came here to find out why the wine stopped flowing. Now that we’ve cleared that up, they should be able to resume their deliveries. Davian told us that the staff that handled the deliveries was mostly dispersed during the whole incident and that they really don’t have anyone to deliver the wine now. They could probably get the wine delivered but that would leave them short staffed.

Davian started down another path about the second gem stone. It lies within the Swamps of Berez. Snoggly asked if that was the gem that produced the best of the three wines. Davian told him no, that the gem for that had been gone for over 10 years. This one was taken about 3 weeks ago. Adrian was able to track it to the swamp area and then returned. Haldar seemed interested in looking for it. We began discussing possible routes we could take from here. One was to deliver the wine to Vallaki and then turn back towards the swamps. Davian told us that he couldn’t reveal his sources but that an ill wind blows out of Vallaki. He was worried for his son, Erwin who owns the Blue Water Tavern.

Snoggly ask Davian what he would prefer we do. Davian suggested that there was a third, and probably the most self-serving of the options. He looks at Adrian and tells us that if we can’t cure his condition, then perhaps there is one who can. Rinn asks who that might be. Davian says that the Abbott in the Abby of St Markovia in Krezk has raised the dead. Perhaps he would have the power to deal with this affliction. We ask if we should go there first and if the wine we are taking to Vallaki would be safe there. Davian tells us that Krezk is a very guarded city. They don’t generally let people in or out. Rinn asks if they will allow us in then, maybe since we are escorting Adrian. Davian tells us that e have the best negotiating tool one could have. Wine has not been flowing for a while and they, like other cities, covet the wine. Snoggly doesn’t understand the fascination for the wine.

It’s suggested that we could take a wagon of wine to Krezk and leave Adrian to take it in, deliver it, and meet with the Abbott while we continue to Vallaki and then we can leave from there to go to the swamps. Kyana asks if we should trust the Abbott reminding us of the other priest that had the Vampire sun that he was feeding and was willing to feed them us. Adrian also spoke up about wanting to continue on with us in the search for the gem. We changed our plans and now all will go into Krezk and once Adrian is cured and the wine delivered there, we will continue on to Vallaki. After delivering there, we will continue on to the swamps and the gem.

Snoggly asked about standing orders needing to be filled in Krezk. We’re told that have order pending and get the bills of lading. Rinn assumed that Adrian should take care of the billing and payments but Snoggly suggested that he may not be a good choice for that, considering his affliction. Dain collected the orders and was prepared to take care of the collections. We gathered our wagon load and headed out. It was then that the others discovered Dave’s deceit regarding ritual casting. Debbie pointed out that even with ritual spells, you must have them prepared in advance. It was then that the pitch forks and torches came out and the case was on. Back to the game!

Rinn noticed the additional fortitude he had garnered earlier seemed to have worn of and he wasn’t feeling well. He had a headache and felt weaker than normal. We start off on our trip to Krezk. We travel for about a day, through some dense forest and then crossing the Raven River and turning West. The skies grow dark as we continue on and eventually come to the gates of a town. It’s well after dark, it’s not a huge town but it is a walled town. The walls are made of wood with a stone gatehouse and twelve foot high iron gates.

Guards shout down a greeting. Dain reminds Adrian not to speak too much and returns the greeting for him. He tells them that we are from the Wizard of Wines winery making a delivery. We were delayed due to trouble that have since been resolved and are anxious to get things back on track. The guards seem to perk up and seem Adrian announces his presence and we show them the orders and the bills of lading. Adrian begins to hand them to Dain but decides that Dain my not be a good choice, due to his racee. He begins searching the group for someone who looks more human. Snoggly takes the bills and presents them to the guards.

The guards asked about the gap in deliveries and Snoggly told them a little about the trouble at the winery and that we took care of that for them and are assisting in the first delivery to make sure everything goes okay. He also took that moment to bring up, you guessed it, whisky. The guard said everything appeared to be in order. He also told us that this is not a town where visiting was encouraged. There were no inns and such, no place to spend the night. He tells us we can refresh but we will not spend the night.

He also had us complete a test before entering. He handed out a dagger. We each had to cut ourselves. The thinking is that if we are vampires, it will heal itself very quickly. If we are Lycanthropy, it won’t cut us. If we are ghoul, we won’t bleed. We each performed the test as Dain gets to his turn, they examine him a little ask him where he was from. Told him that he is not from around here, that he hasn’t seen any of his kind around here. He passes the test and continues in, Kyana completes the test and move in and then came Misty. They stopped her and began questioning her. Was she some sort of werecat? Snoggly say no, that she is his cat. They still have her perform the test which she passes. Snoggly points out that she’ll be licking on that all night and we’ll not get much sleep. After the last test, we were allowed to pass into the city.

As she enters the city, the more guard’s stair at her and ask her what she is. She replies with Cat folk. They all seemed very surprised to see such a creature. As they keep starring at her, she her tail starts to do it’s, I’m not happy, swish. A man comes down from the tower, hairy and in robes. He asks about the wine and seems thrilled to see it. As he glances at Adrian, Adrian suddenly bows and announces, “Baron!”. The baron ignores this and but does recognize Adrian. He asks Adrian who the rest of us might be. Rinn, trying to keep Adrian from having to speak, tells the Baron that we were at the winery recently assisting with a problem and now we ae helping with the first run, to make sure everything goes okay.

Snoggly introduces himself. The Baron introduces himself as the Burgormaster, the Baron, Dimitri Krezkov. He said that they were so excited to see the wine that they came and got him. Snoggly tells him that there was a wee bit of a snit back there but that we got it fixed for them. He had the guards close the gates and told us that generally we don’t accept visitors but since we bring wine, we can stay at his place tonight. Snoggly also told Dimitri that Adrian needs to see the Abbot, that he is sick with a bit of an upset stomach.

The Baron speaks to Adrian, “Have you heard, the Abbott raise Ilya from the dead!”. He tells us that he didn’t want to do it but finally relented and no Ilya has returned. Snoggly asked who Ilya was and while listening to the Baron tell Adrian about it, we leared that Ilya was the last of the Krezkov line, the heir. With a little questioning, we learned that Ilya was a 14 year old son to the Baron. He died about a month ago. Ilya died from a withering disease. There was a sudden and impromptu discussion about what a fortnight was, not the online game, but the time span. A fortnight is about two weeks. Chris was right! Debbie and David led him astray. They will punished at some point, in the game.

As we make our way to the Baron’s home, we continue discussing this. The town is a well-kept town. They don’t see any banners flying the “All is well!” slogan. Everything seems in good order. The town is walled up tight. Back to Ilya, he tells us that he was a the runt of the children, weaker than the others and always sickly. The other children died over time and then Ilya finally withered away till death. We are reminded that in this culture, the bloodline is everything. He has a daughter but the male is the heir. With his death, the family was deeply distressed, especially Dimitri. So they went to the Abby and worked to convince, even begged, the Abbot to raise him. He didn’t want to do it. It had been too long. He tried to convince the family that they shouldn’t want this, but they insisted. Finally the Abbott relented and raised the boy. Now he is stronger and healthier than he was before, more healthier than he was.

He gets us back to his home and and as we are settling in, he brings a bottle of whiskey to Snoggly, says it’s all he has. The Vistani gave it to him. We mention that we still need to get Adrian to the Abbott to tend to his stomach illness. The Baron seems to get distracted during the conversation as he sees Misty. He probes to determine what we are, as a group. Are we adventurers or mercenaries or what? We’ve all done odd jobs, but we only came together, as a group, recently. Snoggly explains that we were helping with some trouble at the winery. When asked what trouble, he handed that explanation off to Adrian. Adrian told him what was going on. The Baron asks, “the followers of the Dark Lord then?”, to which Adrian replied, “Yes!”. He tells them that they had overrun the winery, shut down all operations, and basically took over the winery. That’s when we showed up and successfully liberated the winery. We are not fully operational yet but our well on our way to being back to it.

Ilya came down stairs as well as his little sister, Alana, who is about 12. They joined us for dinner. Haldar didn’t since anything when Ilya came into the room but Dain cast a Divine Sense spell. He picks up a weakened sense of undead. Because we are so close to each other, he can’t seem to recognize where it is coming from specifically. He got up then and walked around the table, trying not to appear too odd, he just looked at items as he went along but kept ending up next to individuals to see if he could determine who this sense originated from. He gets a slight undead vibe as he does. He doesn’t pass this information on to anyone else yet.

The Baron asked if we hire out to which we answered yes. He told us that they have an unusual problem. Krezk has been compromised! There has been a notable werewolf outside of town called White Claw. He has a small pack, somewhere, on the North side of the Raven River. Apparently, White Claw, on one occasion, recently, was seen in the town. Snoggly asked, in what form, to which we were told, werewolf form. Dain asked about how many gates they have and the Baron told him one. There are some places, near the Abby, where the wall doesn’t join the Abby but there is heavy brush their that doesn’t appear to be disturbed.

One of the citizens saw him, Luka! Snoggly ask him to tell us about Luka. He is described as a large man, somewhat simple minded. He is not a liar, Dimitri is not sure that Luka can lie. Dimitri believed that Luka’s father recently passed away. He’s not sure Luka really understood what that means. Luka’s father was Costal and left on his way to the winery. The found he had been killed, attacked by wolves, possibly werewolves but were not sure. Luka seems to have a knack to handling the animal, especially the sheep. But Costal took care of most of the business side of things while Luka was busy with the animals. Why did they think he had seen White Claw specifically? They said it was because of his description of who he had seen. Basically, he described an albino werewolf and missing part of his snout.

He would like us to track the thing down. Snoggly said we could talk to Luka after we take care of Adrian’s illness. Luka had seen him in the early evening. Snoggly asked if anyone new who it was, it’s human form. Kyana asked about the height of the walls around the town to which he said they were 20 feet tall. Dain asked if everyone entering the town is tested like we were? Long term residents are probably not tested. Dain suggest that he might be a long term resident. He may have lived here the whole time and no one ever knew it. Snoggly suggested that we could look into it. He asked how much he would pay, he offered 50 a piece up toi 500 gold pieces. May be paying 400 in which case there is an additional 50 to split. Snoggly asked if we could use his place as a base of operations to which he agreed.

Rinn suggest that the gates change and test everyone that comes through the gates. Snoggly suggest a whole town test. Dimitri liked both ideas.

As we finished the conversation, we started out towards the Abby. We followed the road along the wall until we reached the cliffs near the back where we took the switch back road up to the top. We reached the tastes of the Abby and it was closed. The gates we iron bars so we could see inside without much issue. Dain tried the door and it opened. We hadn’t seen anyone until the gates made this awful scratching sound. Out from a gate house popped an odd fellow named Otto. He asked us what’s wee wanted and we told him we needed to see the Abbott. He asked why he should let us see the Abbot. We told him that we had a person who has a stomach ache and needs help.

Almost done, but not quite!

2:13:48