Post by gavmeister on Feb 16, 2018 23:07:54 GMT
After an uneasy night’s rest the adventurers press on, heading southwest. The road turns into a muddy trail which descends to a mist-shrouded meadow. A signpost directs them west to the vineyard. A light drizzle begins to fall. They follow a fence which skirts north of a sprawling vineyard. The fog takes on ghostly forms as it swirls between the rows of vines. A cloaked and hooded figure beckons them to take shelter underneath the trees.
They meet Davian Martikov and eight members of his family, owners of the vineyard. The adventurers explain that the burgomaster of Krezk has asked them to bring fresh supplies of wine; as has Davian’s son Urwin at the Blue Water Inn. They reveal that they know the family are wereravens. Davian shows little affection for his estranged son, Urwin. He tells the party that evil druids and blights attacked the winery two days ago. His family barely escaped with their lives. The adventurers agree to liberate the winery – the morale of the citizens of Barovia depend on it. Davian warns them that the vineyard is overrun with needle blights.
They make a dash for the winery’s west entrance, hacking their way through a group of needle blights blocking the way. They bar the door behind them and press on into a hall which houses four fermentation vats. They find a druid poisoning the vats. The druid turns on them as a horde of twig blights emerge from their hiding place in a damaged vat. The blights attack Theo’s monkey-paw familiar before turning on the adventurers. Fortunately help is at hand as swarms or ravens swoop down from the roof and begin picking off blights. Annoyed, Theo casts Fly and takes to the air to avoid the blights which are holding the rest of the party back. He then Eldritch Blasts the druid in a fly-by shooting. The druid Blights him, but his Fiendish Vigour keeps Theo going. He crash lands and incinerates the druid with a Hellish Rebuke. The rest of the team and the ravens take out the remaining twig blights.
During a short rest, Theo casts Find Familiar and is reunited with his pet. The team check out the glassblower’s workroom, and the barrel store & workshop, then make their way upstairs. Pankas surprises the druid’s leader by the barrel winch, but the blood-coated druid leaps down to the loading dock and disappears.
They search the top floor, finding an empty dining room and the master bedroom. Giselle bravely explores the latter on her own. She opens the family’s chest and finds hundreds of coins. Giselle realises this represents the Martikovs' accumulated savings over generations of wine-making. She takes nothing, and closes the chest quietly.
Pankas and Theo examine the records of wine shipment records dating back a century. Regular destinations for shipments are marked as ‘K’, ‘BW’, ‘BV’ and ‘VISTANI’. A hundred years ago some shipments were also sent to ‘S’.
They continue along the upper floor. Giselle picks a locked door clumsily; the door swings open and spills her into the label-printing room where she is Blighted into unconsciousness by a lurking druid. Two vine blights also attack. Pankas and Bran head directly to wreak vengeance on the druid, while Ricken torches a vine blight with Scorching Rays. The fight is over quickly and Ricken leads a much-needed Prayer of Healing.
They take a flight of spiral stairs down to the winery’s cellar. The western half of the cellar is empty apart from a single bottle of corked wine. Theo’s familiar blindsights enemies in the eastern section of the cellar. He casts a Minor Illusion of Davian Martikov which fools a druid into unleashing a Thunderwave prematurely, exploding dozens of wine bottles. The adventurers attack; Theo casts Hypnotic Pattern to distract a band of needle blights while the others take out the druid. Then the chief druid reappears and Blights Pankas. Bran swears his Oath of Enmity and launches into the druid with terrible ferocity. When the druid falls, Bran seizes the Gulthias Staff and breaks it in twain. A terrifying scream from the staff washes over them, laying waste to the remaining needle blights in the vineyard.
The fight is over and the adventurers celebrate with one of the few remaining bottles of Red Dragon Crush. Fortunately, the three barrels of Purple Grapemash No.3 are unharmed.
They explore a secret door in the cellar which opens into a Brown Mould cavern - which keeps the cellar cold.
Davian Martikov and his family return, praising the adventurers’ heroism. He explains that the vineyard can only grow grapes because of three gems shaped like pine cones. One of these was stolen ten years ago (Davian blames Urwin), forcing production of Champagne du le Stomp to end. Three weeks ago, Baba Lysaga’s scarecrows stole the second gem, and five days ago the remaining gem was taken by the druids to their sacred grove on Yester Hill. Without this gem the grapes will not ripen. The adventurers promise to recover it.
Ricken returns to the fermentation vats to rescue this year’s vintage with a lengthy Purify ritual. They all take a well-earned long rest.
In the Loading Dock, the wagon is loaded with three barrels of Purple Grapemash No.3 to which they add the three barrels from the cellar. The two draft horses in the stable are unharmed.
Muriel Vinshaw lands and beckons to Bran. She tells him that someone wants to meet the adventurers at Krezk. The party head back to Krezk on the wagon with Adrian and Elvir Martikov, the eldest and youngest sons of Davian. A flock of ravens flies overhead to guard them.
They meet Davian Martikov and eight members of his family, owners of the vineyard. The adventurers explain that the burgomaster of Krezk has asked them to bring fresh supplies of wine; as has Davian’s son Urwin at the Blue Water Inn. They reveal that they know the family are wereravens. Davian shows little affection for his estranged son, Urwin. He tells the party that evil druids and blights attacked the winery two days ago. His family barely escaped with their lives. The adventurers agree to liberate the winery – the morale of the citizens of Barovia depend on it. Davian warns them that the vineyard is overrun with needle blights.
They make a dash for the winery’s west entrance, hacking their way through a group of needle blights blocking the way. They bar the door behind them and press on into a hall which houses four fermentation vats. They find a druid poisoning the vats. The druid turns on them as a horde of twig blights emerge from their hiding place in a damaged vat. The blights attack Theo’s monkey-paw familiar before turning on the adventurers. Fortunately help is at hand as swarms or ravens swoop down from the roof and begin picking off blights. Annoyed, Theo casts Fly and takes to the air to avoid the blights which are holding the rest of the party back. He then Eldritch Blasts the druid in a fly-by shooting. The druid Blights him, but his Fiendish Vigour keeps Theo going. He crash lands and incinerates the druid with a Hellish Rebuke. The rest of the team and the ravens take out the remaining twig blights.
During a short rest, Theo casts Find Familiar and is reunited with his pet. The team check out the glassblower’s workroom, and the barrel store & workshop, then make their way upstairs. Pankas surprises the druid’s leader by the barrel winch, but the blood-coated druid leaps down to the loading dock and disappears.
They search the top floor, finding an empty dining room and the master bedroom. Giselle bravely explores the latter on her own. She opens the family’s chest and finds hundreds of coins. Giselle realises this represents the Martikovs' accumulated savings over generations of wine-making. She takes nothing, and closes the chest quietly.
Pankas and Theo examine the records of wine shipment records dating back a century. Regular destinations for shipments are marked as ‘K’, ‘BW’, ‘BV’ and ‘VISTANI’. A hundred years ago some shipments were also sent to ‘S’.
They continue along the upper floor. Giselle picks a locked door clumsily; the door swings open and spills her into the label-printing room where she is Blighted into unconsciousness by a lurking druid. Two vine blights also attack. Pankas and Bran head directly to wreak vengeance on the druid, while Ricken torches a vine blight with Scorching Rays. The fight is over quickly and Ricken leads a much-needed Prayer of Healing.
They take a flight of spiral stairs down to the winery’s cellar. The western half of the cellar is empty apart from a single bottle of corked wine. Theo’s familiar blindsights enemies in the eastern section of the cellar. He casts a Minor Illusion of Davian Martikov which fools a druid into unleashing a Thunderwave prematurely, exploding dozens of wine bottles. The adventurers attack; Theo casts Hypnotic Pattern to distract a band of needle blights while the others take out the druid. Then the chief druid reappears and Blights Pankas. Bran swears his Oath of Enmity and launches into the druid with terrible ferocity. When the druid falls, Bran seizes the Gulthias Staff and breaks it in twain. A terrifying scream from the staff washes over them, laying waste to the remaining needle blights in the vineyard.
The fight is over and the adventurers celebrate with one of the few remaining bottles of Red Dragon Crush. Fortunately, the three barrels of Purple Grapemash No.3 are unharmed.
They explore a secret door in the cellar which opens into a Brown Mould cavern - which keeps the cellar cold.
Davian Martikov and his family return, praising the adventurers’ heroism. He explains that the vineyard can only grow grapes because of three gems shaped like pine cones. One of these was stolen ten years ago (Davian blames Urwin), forcing production of Champagne du le Stomp to end. Three weeks ago, Baba Lysaga’s scarecrows stole the second gem, and five days ago the remaining gem was taken by the druids to their sacred grove on Yester Hill. Without this gem the grapes will not ripen. The adventurers promise to recover it.
Ricken returns to the fermentation vats to rescue this year’s vintage with a lengthy Purify ritual. They all take a well-earned long rest.
In the Loading Dock, the wagon is loaded with three barrels of Purple Grapemash No.3 to which they add the three barrels from the cellar. The two draft horses in the stable are unharmed.
Muriel Vinshaw lands and beckons to Bran. She tells him that someone wants to meet the adventurers at Krezk. The party head back to Krezk on the wagon with Adrian and Elvir Martikov, the eldest and youngest sons of Davian. A flock of ravens flies overhead to guard them.