A True Bard by Heart

Another Ravenloft – at Barovia to be exact - adventure is what the party faced last evening of November 3. Our dungeon master ask the party where do we want to continue our adventure and the party decided to be do it in the Ravenloft II (Roots of Evil). We were successful in our last adventure at Ravenloft I by defeating Strahd Von Zarovich (16^th level vampire – necomanser), though a lot of things change from the party since the last time we visit Barovia.

Let’s meet the party:

Raskha – 9^th level evoker and 5^th level Greyhound; Alignment: Neutral Good
Rival – 9^th level Sunsoul and 5^th level Monk; Alignment: Lawful Good
Roswitha – 9^th level bard and 5^th level Moonstar; Alignment: Neutral Good
MRIX – 5^th level night of the blue moon, 3^rd level Paladin and 2^nd level Sorcerer; Alignment: Lawful Good

We started the adventure with Rashka’s spell of Group Teleportation and landed in front of Ravenloft’s Castle at Barovia. We can’t see anything but fog everywhere until we heard a word from Valdar the head of the guardians at that time, faced us at the castle’s gate. With the used of a magical item they knew that I’m (Roswitha) trying to use some spell to fascinate Valdar and so, everyone was ready to fight with the party. Until Queen Kristiana interrupted the guards and said “I knew you would come”, then allowed us to enter the castle, as we walked inside the castle a lot had change it was white and all clean with lights at every corner of the wall, it was totally different from the castle that we entered the last Ravenloft adventure. And so we faced King Barov and Queen Kristiana, Roswitha asked queen Kristiana about the welcome she said that “She knew we would come”, she said it was in prophecy. And to our surprise she knew a lot of things about us – everything about us - about the past adventure we did and what it had cause their land, we were accused as thief (that we are not – we are all good…hehehehe) by taking the Symbol of the Sun out of the castle. And removing the symbol from the castle give them a lot of trouble - the land was cursed – that we never though will happened, we though taking the symbol will the save land of Barovia. Until king Barov give us stories from the past:

“Barovia was a peaceful place lead by general Strahd Von Zarovich before something happened on the day of Serei and Tatian’s wedding everyone was gone, they said that General Strahd Von Zarovich gave his soul to evil God’s in exchange of his immortality. And so the land was cursed since then and only the symbol of the sun can save Barovia. And it was in the prophecy that we have to make the wrong things right and if not death is what awaits the party.“

With all the stories we heard and question was raised, the party then just realize that all the adventures we had in the last few weeks was all interconnected. Fighting Azalin the 18^th level litch and defeating him was one of them, Azalin holds the Symbol of the Sun we weren’t able to get it from him but good thing we hold his phylactery. With the entire bad thing that happened unexpectedly we are giving 30 days to fulfill the quest of bringing back the symbol of the sun to the castle together with the great evil’s phylactery. If after 30 days we weren’t able to accomplish the quest then death awaits us. And yes, we all accepted the quest; finishing the barovia’s adventure and solving this adventure is the party’s main goal and it will if we bring the Symbol back to its right place.

And as before we end the conversation at the castle’s chapel Inajira – the 24^th level demon (Arcanaloth Yugdoth) – arrived get King Barov and kill him everyone was stunned except from our party but only Raskha can react. Before we we’re able to defeat Inajira he summoned two Glabrezu and leave taking the Queen with him. To our surpire Strahd Von Zarovich was back running and fought with one of the Glabrezu and defeated it then leaves us with the other. But before we were able to defeat the 2^nd Glabrezu mrix almost loose his life then Rival able to finish and killed him with his strength. We have to take a two hours nap to gain the power/strength we lost in the fight before continuing the adventure on finding the Symbol of the Sun or hunting Azalin.

With what happened in the castle and seeing Strahd again was all a mystery we have to find and solve. Everything that happened is still uncertain to us but our mission hasn’t change. Village Valaki is our next destination, to defeat Azalin and get the Symbol of the Sun…

This is how we play our game.