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<blockquote data-quote="pukunui" data-source="post: 7122740" data-attributes="member: 54629"><p>OK, so tonight the PCs used <em>feather fall</em> to get down from the guard tower, and the green slime wasn't enough to do anything other than destroy the lead PC's armor really. So they hightailed it all the way back to the Village of Barovia, although they met a ghost along the way that turned Ismark into an old man. They got a long rest (except for the PC being haunted by Morgantha) in Ismark's house, but he stayed behind to take up his duties as burgomaster.</p><p></p><p>Instead of going back to the castle, however, they decided to head for van Richten's tower. On the way, they stopped in at the Vistani camp outside Vallaki to talk to the dusk elves. They presented Kasimir with Rahadin's head, and he told them a bit about Rahadin's past and a few other tidbits. Since I'm not using the Amber Temple in this game, I modified his story so that he simply told them about his sister and that if they could find a way to bring her back to life, she might be able to help them.</p><p></p><p>Off they went and, for some reason, they opted to go to Berez to try and recover the second winery gem. Instead, they ended up getting their asses whooped by Lysaga and her hut (with help from a scarecrow or two). I probably should've had some wereravens help them out ... but anyway, it ended with three PCs down but stable and the fourth hidden in the mansion ruins. I had Strahd show up and stop Lysaga from killing the downed PCs. Instead, he had them carted off to the castle, and they're going to wake up in the dungeons*.</p><p></p><p>The fourth PC made it out of Berez and swam across the river and met Muriel. Over the course of the campaign, his character has shifted to chaotic neutral, so we're not certain what his next move is going to be. I suppose Strahd could send minions out to pick him up and bring him back to the castle too. But then the Keepers of the Feather might try to hide him.</p><p></p><p>As for the others, would Strahd strip them of their gear? One has the holy symbol and another has the sword. Would he take them away and get rid of them, stash them in his <em>instant fortress</em> treasury, hide them in the castle for more fun and games? He's not technically not afraid of the sword, since I've combined the Heart of Sorrow with the Dayheart (from the 3.5 adventure), which means the sword's light doesn't hurt him. </p><p></p><p>I guess the question is: Is Strahd finished toying with these adventurers yet or not? I guess if he wasn't, he could have just left them to die at Lysaga's hands. He wants them dead because they let Ireena escape. He wants them dead because they killed Rahadin. But he's so bored with his unlife that he still wants to wring every last drop of pleasure out of tormenting them before finally doing them in.</p><p></p><p>Does that sound reasonable for why he doesn't just let them die? (I'm trying to justify letting the PCs live long enough that we can spend at least one more session exploring the castle and hopefully come to a more satisfying conclusion.)</p><p></p><p></p><p>*Or maybe Strahd puts them in the guest room and lets them get a good night's sleep to give them a feeling of false hope?</p><p></p><p>EDIT: I think maybe what I'll do is have the three PCs Strahd has captured tied up in chairs facing the bed in the bedroom. As they regain consciousness, they'll see Strahd getting busy with the PC he took away before, and just at the climactic moment, he sucks her dry, looking at his captive audience as he does so. Assuming none of them are able to break free of their bonds at that point, he'll then get up and start getting dressed while Clovin comes in and fetches the body. I'll have him carrying a shovel as well as a lantern, as a clue to the whole "you have to bury the body in order for it to transform into a vampire spawn" thing. He'll take the body away. Once he's dressed, Strahd will leave. As he's closing the doors, he'll say "Try to get some rest." If they stay put, they can have a rest without any random encounters. If they leave the room, all bets are off.</p><p></p><p>Still need to figure out what to do about their equipment. Perhaps he puts most of their gear in the closet behind the bathroom. But what about the sword and holy symbol? I still think he could have some fun by hiding them in the castle and giving the PCs clues as to where to find them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pukunui, post: 7122740, member: 54629"] OK, so tonight the PCs used [I]feather fall[/I] to get down from the guard tower, and the green slime wasn't enough to do anything other than destroy the lead PC's armor really. So they hightailed it all the way back to the Village of Barovia, although they met a ghost along the way that turned Ismark into an old man. They got a long rest (except for the PC being haunted by Morgantha) in Ismark's house, but he stayed behind to take up his duties as burgomaster. Instead of going back to the castle, however, they decided to head for van Richten's tower. On the way, they stopped in at the Vistani camp outside Vallaki to talk to the dusk elves. They presented Kasimir with Rahadin's head, and he told them a bit about Rahadin's past and a few other tidbits. Since I'm not using the Amber Temple in this game, I modified his story so that he simply told them about his sister and that if they could find a way to bring her back to life, she might be able to help them. Off they went and, for some reason, they opted to go to Berez to try and recover the second winery gem. Instead, they ended up getting their asses whooped by Lysaga and her hut (with help from a scarecrow or two). I probably should've had some wereravens help them out ... but anyway, it ended with three PCs down but stable and the fourth hidden in the mansion ruins. I had Strahd show up and stop Lysaga from killing the downed PCs. Instead, he had them carted off to the castle, and they're going to wake up in the dungeons*. The fourth PC made it out of Berez and swam across the river and met Muriel. Over the course of the campaign, his character has shifted to chaotic neutral, so we're not certain what his next move is going to be. I suppose Strahd could send minions out to pick him up and bring him back to the castle too. But then the Keepers of the Feather might try to hide him. As for the others, would Strahd strip them of their gear? One has the holy symbol and another has the sword. Would he take them away and get rid of them, stash them in his [I]instant fortress[/I] treasury, hide them in the castle for more fun and games? He's not technically not afraid of the sword, since I've combined the Heart of Sorrow with the Dayheart (from the 3.5 adventure), which means the sword's light doesn't hurt him. I guess the question is: Is Strahd finished toying with these adventurers yet or not? I guess if he wasn't, he could have just left them to die at Lysaga's hands. He wants them dead because they let Ireena escape. He wants them dead because they killed Rahadin. But he's so bored with his unlife that he still wants to wring every last drop of pleasure out of tormenting them before finally doing them in. Does that sound reasonable for why he doesn't just let them die? (I'm trying to justify letting the PCs live long enough that we can spend at least one more session exploring the castle and hopefully come to a more satisfying conclusion.) *Or maybe Strahd puts them in the guest room and lets them get a good night's sleep to give them a feeling of false hope? EDIT: I think maybe what I'll do is have the three PCs Strahd has captured tied up in chairs facing the bed in the bedroom. As they regain consciousness, they'll see Strahd getting busy with the PC he took away before, and just at the climactic moment, he sucks her dry, looking at his captive audience as he does so. Assuming none of them are able to break free of their bonds at that point, he'll then get up and start getting dressed while Clovin comes in and fetches the body. I'll have him carrying a shovel as well as a lantern, as a clue to the whole "you have to bury the body in order for it to transform into a vampire spawn" thing. He'll take the body away. Once he's dressed, Strahd will leave. As he's closing the doors, he'll say "Try to get some rest." If they stay put, they can have a rest without any random encounters. If they leave the room, all bets are off. Still need to figure out what to do about their equipment. Perhaps he puts most of their gear in the closet behind the bathroom. But what about the sword and holy symbol? I still think he could have some fun by hiding them in the castle and giving the PCs clues as to where to find them. [/QUOTE]
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