Quotes with no context

• • “I’m currently grappled.”
  • “We prefer the term hugging.”
  • “Bite-hugging.”

• “We’re troubleshooters. We shot the trouble.”

• “I feel very emotionally connected to what’s-his-name.”

Session Notes

The next morning we rose bright and early to attend the burgomaster’s funeral. During the ceremony I noticed a dark, mist-shrouded figure lurking outside the cemetery, watching the grieving family. Perhaps an illegitimate child, who is not welcome at family events?

After the funeral a dark-skinned elf handed a letter to Grygori, asking him to convey it to Irina. It was some creepy angst letter from Strahd about how death is a beautiful thing when you think about it, really.

Leaving Irina and Marius with Father Donovitch to say their final goodbyes to their father, we investigated the basement of the church. It contained one (1) pointy-toothed blood craver, who Taren described as “a hole in the weave.” He sucked much of my blood out of my body, which I did not agree to or enjoy, since at the time I was using that blood for living. After a protracted battle in which he also drank Taren’s blood, we killed Mr. Fangy and Dana decapitated the body for good measure. Then we propped the headless body in the corner of the basement, tidied up the side room that the fight had migrated into, and went on our merry way. I’m sure the priest will be grateful that we cured his son’s craving for blood, but we decided not to mention it to Donovitch at this time because all that praise for a job well done can be tiring.

We headed to Tser Pool to seek out Madame Eva. On the way we found an empty gallows; after we passed it we looked back and it was no longer empty. Taren, poor fellow, claimed that the human woman hanging there looked like him. His brains must be addled from the grippe that has so plagued him these past few days.

We found a Vistani encampment near the pool, and the cheerfully drunk inhabitants urged us to join them in storytelling and carousing. Dana performed an impressive interpretive dance routine detailing our adventures in the Durst house, which Ja’real’s uninspired musical accompaniment only slightly ruined.

When we inquired after Madame Eva, the Vistani said that she was expecting us and directed us to her tent. She greeted each of us as though she knew us, and offered to divine the future with a curious deck, which lacks the deep mystical iconography of Azuth’s Talis but has clear links to Jantoo’s theory of archetypes arising from the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.

The Party

After having each of us shuffle or cut the deck, she dealt the cards in a simplified variant of the Ffolk Cross and began interpreting them.

The Monk

This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you understand your enemy. The treasure you seek is hidden behind the sun in the house of a saint.

The Avenger

This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a symbol of great hope. The treasure you seek lies in a dragon’s house, in hands once clean and now corrupted.

The Hooded One

This tells of a weapon of vengeance, a sword of sunlight. I see a faceless god, he awaits you at the end of a long and winding road, deep in the mountains.

The Mists

A Vistana wanders this land alone, searching for her mentor. She does not stay in one place for long. Seek her out at Saint Markovia’s abbey, near the mists.

The Broken One

This will lead you to your enemy. He haunts the tomb of the man he envied above all.

Party Members

She then had each party member choose two facedown cards.

Dana - The Rogue and The Artifact

This is a sign that you are the key, you will be the one to find it. One of your skills is necessary in your quest to retrieve this treasure.

Taren - The Druid (inverted) and The Innocent

There is someone of importance whose life is in danger, but they face a difficult choice and may be tempted down the wrong path. Watch them carefully.

Gwenllian - The Horseman and The Illusionist

This is not a promising fortune. The Horseman represents death, disaster, endings. The Illusionist represents the bringer of this change: a liar, a spy, a hidden organization.

Grygori - The Priest and The Dark Lord

…at this point Madame Eva’s voice grew too soft for anyone other than the querent to make out the words¹.

Ja’real - The Conjurer and The Executioner (inverted)

Next Session

• We head toward Saint Markovia’s abbey, which evidently has mists.

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1. Which is to say, Dave was speaking faster than I could type so I paraphrased the first three prophecies and didn’t get the last two down at all. ↩︎