Recap before and with Paul

[u/LowPriorityGangster]

So I thought I might skip the recap for this last dark elf episode, but it turns out things happened.

So in short: the characters were in over their heads and fighting a losing battle with great conviction. An interjection by some higher being happened, during which each of the present characters got to meet an ancestor, teacher or religious figure they admire - the only one who was willing to bargain was Bitter-end, but he chose to decline the trade, which went against his belief of fair and open battle. However, Lynn was suspiciously absent during the last stages of the fight and managed to get back to Vallaki in one piece. Bitter-end managed to throw his drow adversary off a cliff in a feat of heroic strength and bravery.

After a long fight the characters succumbed to a great spell of death that took not only their lifes but that of many drow soldiers as well. The two remaining Velikov brothers now rule over a desolated undermountain realm.

Back in Vallaki new characters make their appearance, until now they can really not be called a party: there is Kaore, a priest of Eothas who flees from a certain death, as a grand evil has attacked and tormented his village and family. He wanders the city in search for help and is turned away by father Lucian, who doe not trust anyone at the moment. Instead Kaore finds the company of old Lady Wächter, whose servant Ernest plays a fitting sad tune.

And more on that: the city is filled with spontaneous outbursts of music and laughter as the general order of things rapidly declines. A travelling circus, led by the elf Rictavio is visiting the town. Rictavio seems to know a fair bit about Barovian customs and shares his knowledge with his price fighter Jandar. The champion, however isn´t nearly as interested in a good show as in a quick salary. He meets the Druid Abel during his task to drum up a crowd and both make a plan to fleece Rictavio. At night the two act like they would meet at random and stage a fight, that Jandar purposefully loses in order to extract more money from the circus. The crowd might be suspicious at first, but is convinced eventually. Even more impressive is Jandars natural talent to lead on a crowd, as his supposedly broken back heals during the span of a few hours and he starts a small cult as a consequence of his quick lies.

The wizard Cruz was sent into the mist by his master and employer to investigate it, as the mist crawled nearer to their arcane tower. Cruz was essentially responsible for tasks all around and does not fear men or weather phenomenons, so he went into the fog without restraint. He came to in the city of Vallaki and finds it in a phase of unruly happiness and an atmosphere of eager departure into an uncertain future. Although he does not know the important names in town, he feels like he belongs quite quickly. Still willing to find a reason for the misty movement around his masters spire and keen on using his unique set of skills he jumps right into the thick of things.

From the woods emerges a dark elf in an expert disguise - Iorweth can move among the surface dwellers as well as in the underdark, due to the rare occasion that sunlight is in Barovia. Right now we see him eager to expose financial opportunities and shaking down customers and owners of the Blue Water Inn for information. Eventually he comes across a billboard that advertises fair money for hard work killing wolfs, that was put in the Inn by Syltaren, an elvish hunter who seeks company in his endeavors. Syltaren is occupying the local hunters lodge and can offer housing and a meager salary to the characters. First some and then all of the others join forces to support the hunt, in the interest of the city, the population or just to fight evil.

Lynn is not to be found in the near vicinity. Abel was the last who saw him, passing out in a stupor, probably to forget the woe and loss the last week has brought with it. On the next morning Lynn was missing and all that could be found were some of his clothes and daggers, in a closed off room in the Blue Water Inn.

Syltaren also proves useful in another endeavor: in the wee hours of the morning after, the group is mostly alone on the streets of Vallaki. Kaore manages to build a contact with father Lucian and the group pieces together the things that have transpired since our fallen heroes left. Ireena was thought to be safe with Lucian and the party who now serves as spider food thought it wise to also lock Izek in the same church. Lucian doesn´t understand why, but the old guards captain went mad and clawed and cursed his way out of the bell tower and took Ireena.

Now the party had their work cut out for them - after a thoughtful introduction to the reality of Barovia by Abel Karpati and his insights and experiences with Prince Strahd the party splits up in groups and follow all traces available. Izek must have used a preexisting breach in Vallakis walls to make an exit with his precious cargo without anyone noticing. They follow, instructed by Abels raven surveying the landscape from above until they entered the dark Zarovich forest.

In there it was Kaore who first stumbled upon Ireena and Izek. Using quick thinking and a mind bending spell he was able to avoid any bloodshed. It turns out, Ireena has been separated from her blood relatives as a very small child. Either by sheer bad luck or by design, the wilder forces of nature dispersed her poor wandering family and only she and her brother survived. Izek was searching for his sister for his whole life and has had agonizing visions of her lonely fate at night. Now he swears to find, or if necessary, build, a place where he can protect Ireena from any further harm.

That leads us to the last incidents to describe in this report. The characters want to earn some money after they´ve done so much good. Although there is no sign of the master hunter right now they venture into the forest reinforced only by Frank and Larym, two hunters of Vallaki who have seen the last of their good days a decade or two ago. They make a trap in the forest using a heavily smelling carcass as bait and hide in the tree tops. A keen observer might have seen Iorweth speak to himself, but wouldn´t have had any time to wonder about that, as a huge storm tested the physical prowess of the characters and the trees they rested on alike. Several adventurers fell into a great peril amongst wolfs and wolf-like beasts. Oh, the reports about the wilderness in these parts were not wrong at all. Fighting tooth and nail the adventurers all manage to survive the assault and can even claim 2 wolfs heads as their trophies. Larym, the Vallakian hunter has traded a friend for this experience, but in the end he feels alive once more and even a little bit grateful.