Jun Jia ran briskly into the room and flanked the Druid. Her fist darted at their enemy, but Jia slipped on that same patch of blood. Unlike Chokhar, however, she rode the momentum and pivoted in a quick spin, lashing out with a spin kick that connected! The fell magicks of her Hex further weakened the man where her dainty foot connected with Necrotic damaged!

OOC:

04:50, Today: Jun Jia rolled 6 using 1d6.  Necrotic damage from Hex.
04:49, Today: Jun Jia rolled 6 using 1d4+3.  Damage.
04:48, Today: Jun Jia rolled 22 using 1d20+5.  Bonus Unarmed Strike .
04:48, Today: Jun Jia rolled 11 using 1d20+5.  Unarmed Strike.


This message was last edited by the player at 08:54, Thu 15 July 2021.

https://media-waterdeep.cursec.../697/600/825/028.jpg

With your combined might you fell the wicked druid as he stands, the last words on his lips: "Strahd."

The knocking of the twig blight from w3 grows distant as you enter w4, a room full of a baker's dozen wine barrels. A narrow stone staircase spirals upward in the southwest corner.

the door to w9 stands open, you see a large room with 4 fermentation vats, stairs in the middle lead to a balcony that runs the entire room. A druid stands at the top, before the west most vat, chanting.

Vyktor's hands worked to quickly reload his strange weapon which belched fire, smoke and a roar of thunder. He took the chance to fire off another shot and then slipped through the door and to the east, seeking cover behind one of the huge vats.

Action - Ranged Attack: Vyktor Rosewylde rolled 8 to miss... again.
Move: Go through door and to the east, looking for cover behind the empty-looking vat on the map.

The druid was too far to reach, and she needed another solution, but she dared not drop weapon or shield to take a shot...

One chance.  It might not work, but it was worth the effort.  The druid was standing right in front of the vat, after all.  She ran up the stairs as far as she could, but time for a desperate attempt as she ran.

Magic filled her words as she shouted a simple command:

"FALL!"

So, yeah, casting Command to acquaint the druid closely with the vats.

Once again, Jun Jia spoke the words of power. “ E Er Deli Qi Baozha!” After firing her Eldritch Blast, she ran forty feet closer to the Druid. She paused to Hex this one, too, cursing his dexterity so he would fall into the vat.

OOC:


16:05, Today: Jun Jia rolled 5 using 1d10.  Nope, Force damage!
16:05, Today: Jun Jia rolled 18 using 1d20.  Force damage?
15:59, Today: Jun Jia rolled 11 using 1d20+3.  Eldritch Blast.

Since the last target died, I can Hex a new target. Cursing his Dexterity, too, so Disadvantage on any DEX saves.

Everybody was shouting. Well, at least this looked like the kind of battle he'd enjoy. And apparently, shouting things was pretty effective, so Chokahr decided to give it a go. Poiting his bloodied hammer at the druid standing over the vats, the barbarian put on his scariest war-face and yelled "DIE!" at the top of his lungs. Well, you never know.

Action: Intimidate the druid into getting a heart attack.
12:03, Today: Chokahr rolled 12 using 1d20+2.  Intimidate the druid.
Move closer to the druid.

In response to your commands, magic, and intimidation, the druid loses his footing and plummets head first into the vat before him. SPLASH.

There is no further noise from the vat.

You catch your breath as you enter the fermentation room (w9). The rich smell of fermenting wine fills this large, two-story chamber, which is dominated by four enormous wooden casks, each one eight feet wide and twelve feet tall. A wooden staircase in the center of the room climbs to a ten-foot-high wooden balcony that clings to the south wall, which has four windows set into it at balcony level. Stacked against the wall underneath the balcony are old, empty barrels with “The Wizard of Wines” burned into their sides. The balcony climbs another five feet as it continues along the west and east walls, ending at doors leading to the winery’s upper level. Underneath these side balconies are several doors, some of which hang open.

The silence is broken by the flutter of birds. Ravens. A flock of ravens gathers beneath the sloping roof on thick rafters. They watch you with great interest.

"Boys, search the house. If you see a druid holler and we will come running."

Dag and Adrian head up the stairs and disappear into a hallway. Davian cautiously approaches the vat that the druid fell into.

"He's gone??? But the wine is poisoned now. Why? What good would this do them? Ruining my wine will only...make us all suffer just a bit more."

He looks up at you with hopeless eyes, on the verge of tears. "Fuck Strahd."

Ceila awkwardly patted Davian on the shoulder.

"Your wine isn't lost," she said.  "I have divine magic.  Not a great deal, but give me time, and I can purify your wine.  Wine needs time anyway, doesn't it?"

Davian’s weariness turns to hope, “truly you are sent by the god you serve!!! how devine! pray tell, is it the Raven Queen, Morning Lord, Night Mother? or a new god we do not know?”

...it was easier to name the god she was associated with, she supposed.

"I serve the causes of justice and vengeance, but it's fair enough to say that I also worship Torm," she said.  "Do you know of him?"

Davian shakes his head. "No. Though I am glad he is powerful enough for his divinity to break through the curse that is Barovia. I've heard stories of other religious knights who would cast a spell and hear only silence, they soon fell to darkness as their faith shattered. Keep your faith, Ceila. May Torm always be with you."

A moment later Dag and Adrian return.

Dag: "No druids...but no signs of (the names of his wife and baby girl). I am heading at once to Berez."

Davian: "Shut up Dag. Don't be a fool. Without the help of our new best friends you'll be raven pie at the hands of Baba Lysaga."

Dag: "I will fly to Vallaki and get Urvin's help."

Davian: "URVIN? BAH!" He spits on the floor and stomps on it. "You're better off getting yourself killed than getting that traitor's help."

Dag: "He is your son."

Davian yells, "HE IS DEAD TO ME."

“Who is Baba Lysaga?”

Chokahr dipped his hammer in the wine vat that now served as the druid's watery grave, cleaning it of the blood. There was a nasty gash in his side from the thorn creature's attacks, and he pressed against it carefully to slow the bleeding, wincing and sweating lightly. Seemingly oblivious to the chattering of the winemakers, he went around the first floor to make sure the doors and windows were properly barred, propping furniture against possible entrances. Only then did he join his companions and sat down on the floor, sighing, dropping his travel pack at his side.

"Your druids are different from the ones I know, back home. Ours wouldn't behave like savage beasts."

Popping open his waterskin, the burly man took a large swig, spat on the floor and lifted his shirt to look at the wounds.

"Hey, winemaker, you got something stronger than wine on your shelves? I got a wound that needs cleaning."

Dav: "Indeed, Chokahr. Come..."
He leads you to the bedrooms and douses your wounds with turpentine.
You get as comfortable as possible in the beds that do not belong to you. Some too soft, some too firm, none just right. As you rest, Davian describes the lore of Berez and Baba Lysaga:

"As the legend is told, hundreds of years ago there was a peasant from Berez named Marina.
Berez is a small village on the shore of the Luna River. Marina bore a striking resemblance to Strahd’s beloved Tatyana, both in appearance and manner, and she became Strahd’s obsession. He seduced her in the dead of night and feasted on her blood, but before she could be turned into a vampire, the burgomaster of Berez, Lazlo Ulrich, with the aid of a local priest named Brother Grigor, killed Marina to save her soul from damnation. Enraged, Strahd slew the priest and the burgomaster, then used his power over the land to swell the river, flooding the village and forcing the residents to flee. Later the marsh crept in, preventing the villagers from returning. Berez has remained mostly abandoned since.

The ruins of Berez are now home to Baba Lysaga, an almost mythic figure tied to Strahd’s ancient past. Baba Lysaga sacrifices beasts to Mother Night and collects their blood, then bathes in the blood on nights of the new moon in a ritual to stave off the effects of extreme old age. But some say that she is the avatar of Mother Night herself. Long has she waged war with our goddess: The Raven Queen.

Not only has she sent the druids to kidnap our family, but they stole three magic gemstones from the vineyard, forcing us to try to reclaim them. The gems are  magic seeds passed on through my family, given to us by the Raven Queen at the dawn of this land's curse, before her powers were stifled by the dark. The gem is what allows the vines to grow...I'm sure the druids have put them to nefarious uses..."

“As Chokhar said, Druids typically nourish and protect the land. Even I know this much. Perhaps the corrupt nature of this world also corrupted their mission?” Jun kept another thought to herself, though. Concerns that Strahd’s malefic influence could eventually hinder even Ceila’s contact with her beloved God.

Jun sat with these dark thoughts, facing them as she meditated. Her teaching required sitting with all discomfort, including fear. She realized it was folly to ruminate over a future that had not yet come to pass. Jun Jia could live and act in the present. Living mindfully in the moment, she focused instead on her injuries. Redirecting her attention also redirected her Ki to heal those wounds, gradually restoring her to full health.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:32, Mon 26 July 2021.

Rubbing the pungent chemical onto his wounds gave Chokahr a kick, and he paced around the room, stretching his arms and neck, while listening to Davian's story. The turpentine burned his wounds, making him slightly dizzy. He spat on the floor at the tale of Baba Lysaga's rituals.

"Bah, witches. Arrogant wenches with too much power for their own good. Never ends well. Anyway, we came here to get the wine back to Krezk, so if the path's clear, that's pretty much what we're gonna do top o' the morning, I guess."

Chokahr left the resting room, made his way back to the vats, and took First, the talking skull, out of his backpack for a nice dive in the blood-infused wine that was now the druid's final resting place.

"Cheers, mate."

Quenched in the life giving poison, the skull begins to speak, "Welcome back." Sounds like she's talking to you, but aren't you the one welcoming her back?

"Thank you for joining me again. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Davian and Dag begin to argue again:
Davian about how without your help they are doomed.
Dag about how they need to fix things with Urvin because Urvin can help.

Who is Urvin?
Well it sounds like from the bits and pieces of the argument that he is Davian's oldest son who lives in Vallaki and has a small army of wereravens under his command. Davian says that Urvin turned his back on his family and is dead to him. Dag says Davian is being stupid.

I rather agree with Dag.

"You'd better let me have some time to purify the wine, then," said Ceila.  "I'll take care of it now.

...it was a simple enough spell.  She wondered vaguely why others hadn't tried it before.  Were priests so rare here?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:57, Thu 29 July 2021.

The barbarian gave the blood-and-wine soaked skull a puzzled look, then chuckled lightly.

"Eh, might as well.... First, you've been around this place a while. What do you know about Baba Lysaga, the Night Mother, the Raven Queen, and some magical gems that make plants grow?"

He paused, thought for a moment - a rather incongruous task, judging by his tortured expression - and spoke up again.

"Oh, and while we're at it... what can you do, actually? Don't get me wrong, you're great company, but maybe you have some other talents?"

"I don't know those gods. I am merely an afterthought of the Whisperer. I was the First to be sacrificed to him. I have only heard whispers of life since then. I am content to exist with you, join you on this path, but I am afraid I am of no use to you."

Then as if in a stroke of genius she adds, "WAIT! I am good at math."

Chokahr picked the thigh bone from the first killed druid clean, using a twig from the shrubbery monsters to clean his teeth. His grisly meal seemed to have rejuvenated him, and the chemicals he had doused on the wounds had made their work. He didn't seem to mind the horrid smell. Sitting down near the winemakers, he lifted a hand to talk.

"Help sounds good. But some words and deeds, you can't simply put aside. Davian, what happened between you and your other son?"

"He turned his back on his family. A profitable businessman, like father like son-I guess, he runs the Blue Water Inn in Vallaki. I still sell him wine of course, I'm no idiot. But when he left our winery he went about it all wrong. We haven't spoken in years. Worse, he split our numbers. Half of the wereravens sided with him. HE made us weak. It was just a matter of time before Baba's druids attacked. How fortunate that you arrived in time for us to salvage some of the wine. Thank you again Ceila. I will make my offerings to your god."

He hands Ceila a small coin purse. 10gp. Perhaps generous, but you did just save his entire batch, not to mention his entire business. Now if only you could save his entire family.

Where to:
1. Krezk - return with wine and finish the original quest
2. Yester Hill - Davian knows for sure druids have taken some of his family there
3. Ruins of Berez - Davian knows for sure druids have taken some of his family there
4. Vallaki - perhaps Urvin can fix everything

"Mmmmmh. You know about wolves, Davian? Packs don't always stay together. Sometimes a young male will wander off, alone or with some of his own, and that's just the way of nature. But if there's a large threat, both the old and new pack will join forces. You and your son no longer share a pack, but you still share blood."

With a hearty burp, the barbarian stood up and gathered his things.

"I say we bring this wine back to Krezk first; ain't that far anyway. In the meantime, you think about what to do with that other son of yours, and we'll be back in a few to see what can be done about them witches. Can't have those creatures mess with wine, or there won't be anything decent to drink 'round these parts."