C1E1 – Into the Mist

Elemental Beacon

Our story begins with three adventurers, Nyrus, Raegar, and Witch Chop, meeting in a tavern in Darkwater to take on an escort mission.

After expert negotiations from Nyrus' side, the payment remained the same, 75gp and maybe a bottle of wine for the entire group. Their benefactor, a merchant dwarf, ensured them that it is an easy trip from Darkwater to Luskan, with the exception of the forest. Danger of wolves.

In the morning, the adventurers embarked on their quest, following on foot a comically overloaded cart of goods. Upon nightfall, after entering the forest, they realized the difficulties of open-air camping, as they had no tents, except the dwarf. The mist that started enveloping their camp was getting denser by the minute. Witch Chop took to the trees and made himself comfortable there, while Nyrus fell asleep immediately. Raegar decided to keep watch first.

Not long after his watch started, he was attacked by an unseen enemy, who left him unconscious. Nyrus continued his nap, albeit forced to. Witch Chop woke up and descended from his tree into the mist, but he was also taken out.

All three of them woke up later in a barrel-top wagon, driven by a young lady named Nehemia. Her good nature couldn’t leave those three barely clothed in the woods. She was not naive though to leave them untied.

Once they woke up, they started to ask questions to one another, only to be cut short by a sudden stop. Two adult werewolves and a kid attacked the wagon. Nehemia, Nyrus, Raegar, and Witch Chop tried to fight them off, as they heard the bigger one telling the kid not to kill them. It was then that they heard another voice join the fray. A human wielding a longsword came to their aid, but his sword was useless against the werewolves’ hide. Taking out a scroll, he uttered arcane words, killing the biggest of the three werewolves and scaring the other two off. While this stunt saved their lives, it severely damaged his vocal cords. Franz ran to their aid, bringing them about and helping them up.

Once they toppled the wagon, and after Nyrus finally put his bottom into it, they went after Nehemia’s horse. On the way, they realized that a lone wolf was following them. Upon retrieving the horse, the wolf left in a hurry, making our tired heroes dash back to the cart.

Back on the road and in the cart, our heroes get to know each other a bit better. Nehemia reveals she’s a Vistana, no longer welcome, Nyrus is always in search of trouble and of a good time while he has a Barovian name, Raegar was also looking for a way to enter Barovia for some reason, while Witch Chop sat there, repeating phrases in the others’ voices. Franz also revealed how he got his hands on that scroll and that he’s searching for his daughter after they were attacked by werewolves on the road.

Right before the gates to the village, two frightened children begged for the heroes’ help. There was a monster in the basement of their house and their brother was trapped in the nursery. After disbelieving the children, the heroes nevertheless ventured into the big house they were being pointed at and started to investigate.

The coat of arms on the shields hanging on the walls is a gold windmill on a red field. Raegar picked the shield to protect himself better, while Franz gave Nyrus the longsword that was resting upon the mantlepiece, also bearing the windmill at its hilt. In the meantime, Witch Chop couldn’t detect any magic from his Detect Magic spell, neither the presence of any undead. He did get a good handful of charcoal though.

By exploring the big room on the ground floor, the heroes realize that it looks a lot like a hunter’s lodge. They helped themselves to three crossbows with bolts and quivers for each.

The heroes feel that there’s something really wrong about this place but haven’t found out what yet…