Welcome to Barovia
The players enter Barovia, find a dead body in the woods and head towards the Village of Barovia

Entering Barovia

• The players start the session right in front of the gates of Barovia
  
• As they walk towards the gates they slowly open up, and after passing, slowly close back up. They continue down the road surrounded by forest, when they suddenly catch the scent of death on the air. Following it to a dead body in the forest (died by exhaustion), Dalvan Olensky was holding an old, tarnished copper compass. Pointing his arm towards a tree which bears thirteen tally marks and an arrow that points deeper into the woods, along what seems to be a well-traveled footpath
• The players follow the arrow to another tree with the same tally marks and arrow, following the new arrow they pass a dead horse which seemed to belong to Dalvan and died of the same causes. Finding a third tree which is pointing directly into the heavy mist which seems to make the compass go in circles. They decide to head back to the main road
• The players come up to a big overlook, where they can see the entire valley, they spot the village and decide to head towards it.

Entering the village of Barovia

• As the players approach the Village of Barovia, a woman named Kereza on the rooftops calls down and asks if the players are alive or dead. When Shaggy comes up behind her and calms everyone down, saying the players seem alive enough. He invites the players into the village and to the Blood of the Vine Tavern to speak together. A raven is following them in the air.

• In the center of the village the players see a big statue
  The statue:
  
  SHAGGY (ISMARK ANTONOVICH THE GREAT. Burgomaster of Barovia. Bane of Vampires. 618—662 B.C.

• In the tavern Shaggy starts answering the players questions

• The players have entered the land of Barovia, a realm surrounded by deadly fog and ruled by Strahd von Zarovich, a powerful vampire who slumbered in Castle Ravenloft until recently.

• Outsiders are occasionally spirited into Barovia by the mists. (Ismark has no knowledge of Death House, but vaguely remembers tales of unorthodox ways by which travelers have come to the valley.) There is no escaping Barovia once an outsider has entered it.

• Just over three months ago, a man named Doru, the son of the village priest, raised a rebellion against the castle, hoping to free the valley from its prison in the mists. Their revolt failed, awakening Strahd from his dormancy and spurring the vampire to vow vengeance upon the village below.

• Several dozen Barovians fled to the town of Vallaki, almost a day’s travel to the west. The remainder stayed in the village, determined to defend their homes and those who were unable to make the journey.

• Six nights ago, Strahd’s undead forces began attacking the town. Each night, the Barovians beat back multiple waves of the dead—and each night, the horde comes ever-closer to breaching the village’s defenses.

• Many barovians fear that the village is doomed. The undead have infested the woods to the north, west, and south, blocking the Old Svalich Road just past the Ivlis River. With the Mists blocking passage to the east, the village has been effectively cut off from the world, left to survive on its own—or perish.

• After speaking a while to Shaggy suddenly Bildrath Cantemir from a different Table starts speaking, calling Shaggy "Shaggy the lesser"

• The door to the tavern swings open and Mary enters crying, her daughter Gertruda has run away. Shaggy offers to get a search party going for Gertruda. The players offer to help the barricades for the night in exchange for sleeping space in the village. Shaggy sends the players down to his mansion to get a crate of "fire bottles"

• As the players arrive at the mansion there is an angry mob in front. It seems the leader of the mob Alenka, is trying to get Kolyan to allow them to sacrifice Ireena to the "Devil Strahd" in hopes of stopping his attacks.

• They learn that Ireena was found by Kolyan when she was a young child out in the woods.

• The players manage to do some crowd control with a successful persuasion by Avery with help from Caspian. They get invited into the mansion by Ireena and Kolyan where they all eat Lunch together while talking and looking at a small dilemma the burgomaster has been facing.

• After lunch the burgomaster gives them a Letter in case the players want to enter the other villages in Barovia. The players get shown to their rooms for the night where Marianne finds a page of Van Richten's Guide to Vampires which Caspian recognizes from the Library.

• Ireena gives the players the crate of "fire bottles" which they take to the eastern Barricade where Bildrath and his nephew Parriwimple are waiting to prepare for the night.

Ending

• The players set themselves up at the eastern barricade. Session ends with dusk falling.

Loot

• page of Van Richten's Guide to Vampires ~ Lore ~ Marianne
• Letter of Introduction from Burgomaster ~ Lore ~ Marianne
• tarnished copper compass ~ Tools ~ Avery

❮ 03 · Chronicles · 05 ❯