Session 021 - 2025-09-01

Session 021 - September 1, 2025

Blue Water Inn

The party woke up and came down to the common room to find Ireena, Freek, and Myrtle excited to go out, as promised the day before. The young woman approached the group as soon as she saw them, saying that they were ready to go out of the Inn and finally meet the priest at the church.

As the PCs joined her to have breakfast, Urwin Martikov approached them to not only serve their food but also to remind them of his request from the first night they showed up: to investigate why the weekly wine delivery has not come through. The group agreed to investigate it and planned on travelling to the Wizard of Wines winery after dropping Ireena and the children at the church.

They took off a few moments later. Klildar put the kids atop his faithful steed as they travelled along the streets already busy with the morning movements. The children were excited to be seeing a new town and to be out of the Inn for the first time.

Ireena took the opportunity to share a dream she had with Jon and the rest of the group. In the dream, she was at the margin of a massive black-watered lake. With her there were two men and another child, older than her. She was a small girl. Something happened there and she felt a poignant dread and sorrow.

Church of St. Andral's

They arrived as the morning service had just finished, and a small group of people were leaving the church. One old lady detached from the group and walked up to Klildar, holding his arm with her two frail hands. Willemina Rikalova spoke in a hushed tone and thanked the group for rescuing her son, Udo Lokovich, who was being held in the burgomaster's mansion.

Father Lucian waved from the doorstep as he welcomed the party inside. He was very friendly towards Ireena and the children, welcoming them and soon directing them to a guest room, followed by some helpers.

Then, he told the PCs that he had found instructions for the Ritual of Ancestral Binding in an old tome of the order of the Morninglord. The ritual aims to anchor a relic on the spirit of a saint or revered ancestor, and while Fr. Lucian had all the other requirements to perform it, he would also need a relic.

That's when he told the story of Father Markus, who 40 years ago was the resident priest of the church and also caretaker of the local Orphanage of St. Traft. He died defending the children when a horde of vampires attacked the town, but he had a signet ring that could be used as the required relic. He asked the party to go to the old orphanage and retrieve it.

Orphanage of St. Traft

The gravedigger Milivoj gave them a pair of shovels and they proceeded to the building, a short walk from the church. They arrived at a crooked and derelict building and found no traces of recent movement. The air smelled of dense vegetation and rot. Walking across the building, they soon reached the back garden, turned into a cemetery, holding 15 tombstones.

The larger tombstone had the symbol of the Morninglord engraved—a rising sun against the horizon—as well as a single belladonna flower sprouting from its base. Klildar gently plucked it off the ground before starting to dig. After about one hour, the coffin was exposed. They affixed a couple of ropes and raised the wooden object from the grave. At which point three small skeletons rose from their tombs.

They were dressed in tattered uniforms and started to wander and stumble in the area, whispering lamentations such as "Has the father returned? Is he going to save us?" They, however, were indifferent towards the party.

Once the coffin's lid was pried open, they saw the signet ring on the cadaver's finger, which Klildar gently removed. Once the coffin was put back into the ground, the skeletons dropped to the floor.

orphanage_cemetery.png|500

Back at the Church

Father Lucian was waiting for them eagerly and was happy to see they were able to retrieve the ring. Before he went inside to perform the ritual, he said that Ireena had told the priest about her dream, and he said that the lake's description matched with Lake Zarovich that sits at the feet of Mount Baratok, just north of Vallaki.

Ireena was determined to go there and asked if the group could accompany her. They agreed and left a few moments later.

Lake Zarovich

Upon arrival at the southern shore, Ireena grew restless and the sense of dread increased. Her eyes darted across the shore and the lake. Finally, she sat down and was able to share what she was... remembering? She was a small girl, accompanied by two men and an older child, a boy. And there were wolves—massive dark figures jumping at them from the woods. She was so scared that she started to run away, and the next thing she remembers is being alone in the woods when her adoptive father found her.

While she was telling her story, Alfbern noticed a small boat floating in the lake, about 400 feet away from them. A figure onboard was holding a fishing rod, but no line was cast, as they were completely still. A few moments later, however, they put the rod away and pulled a bundle from the boat. The bundle moved like it was fighting the figure, who seemed intent on dropping it overboard.

Klildar swiftly went into action, sprouting his newly gained wings, and flew in the boat's direction, while Alfbern and Jon boarded another boat and started rowing. The paladin reached the vessel soon enough and snatched the bundle from the hands of a drunk, sad-looking man, who was very much startled and didn't understand what happened.

Flying back to the other boat, he placed the bundle gently there and opened it, revealing a Vistani seven-year-old girl with white skin and raven black hair. She was in shock, her clothes partially wet. Alfbern fired a Starry Wisp at the boat and managed to open a hole in its hull, which prompted the man aboard to try to stop the leak. But Klildar flew back there and knocked him unconscious.

With everyone back at the shore, the girl introduced herself as Arabelle, saying that she was kidnapped while playing with other children near a Vistani camp located southwest of Vallaki. She said that her father would reward them for saving her. They agreed to escort her back and also bring her captor alongside them, to leave him to be dealt with by the Vistani.

Vistani Camp - Session End

The session ended with the group arriving at the Vistani camp, having travelled around Vallaki. The camp is set on a massive clearing and atop a small hill, with small houses at its foot and a massive tent at its top, with several barrel-topped wagons forming a circle around it. Arabelle points to the tent and says "We're here."

Party Members

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