The Story So Far

Last updated after Session 22

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The Narrative

Chapter 1: Into the Mists

The adventurers arrived in Barovia already marked by loss. A companion had fallen before this tale truly began, and they carried that grief with them into Vallaki, a town clinging to normalcy in a land where normalcy had died long ago.

They found a new ally in Brannor, a towering half-giant paladin who brought divine magic and martial prowess alike. But even finding temporary shelter brought complications. A dispute over a crossbow — Andy had paid one gold coin as agreed, but the shopkeeper changed his mind and grew aggressive — nearly landed them in custody. Only after tense negotiations and twenty-five gold pieces did the guards let them go, though not without a sobering reminder: “You’re like the seventh one.” Six groups of heroes before them. Six failures.

They rode east toward the Vistani camp, desperate for answers and the supplies to resurrect fallen friends. Luan shifted into his direwolf form using his druidic magic, while Brannor summoned a spectral wolf of mist named Vetjna, and they crossed the cursed forest at speed. The wilderness itself seemed hostile: trees that creaked with malice, mist that moved with intent.

Then came the scarecrows. Constructs that shouldn’t have been able to move, yet did. That existed in multiple places at once, teleporting when unwatched. Their very gaze paralyzed with supernatural terror. But fire proved their weakness, and when the last one fell to Zoran’s radiant sun soul strike — a blow so mighty it briefly parted the clouds — they found a cursed ring among the ashes. A champion’s treasure turned trap.

The Vistani camp felt like another world. Music, laughter, food that actually tasted good. For a few hours they could almost forget where they were. Grusnarv drank himself merry on Fruity Loops. Sasha the Vistani showed interest in Zoran. The party ate and drank and rested. Andy and Zoran shared a heartfelt conversation, processing the day’s tensions.

But they had come for Madame Eve, and the seer’s tent held no comfort. She sat in a space larger than should have been possible, regarding them with eyes that had seen too much. She knew them. Had expected them, though their path surprised her.

Grusnarv showed her a painting born from visions he couldn’t quite explain — a gaunt figure connected to Castle Ravenloft by threads of fate, with more threads reaching back. He spoke of memories that weren’t quite memories: being a researcher, creating stones for someone powerful and demanding, experiments that required human sacrifice. Dark work he’d been complicit in, though he couldn’t remember the details.

“I see something surging,” Madame Eve said, studying the painting. But when pressed, she would only say: “I’m afraid this is not my story to tell. I’m afraid you know.”

She gave them prophecies wrapped in riddles. Spoke of a wizard’s crypt, treasures buried beneath gold, a wonder elf with dark dreams, a broken-minded wizard with strong spells, and an enemy awaiting them in a secret place. She identified the cursed ring without touching it — the Ring of the Champion, enhanced healing twisted by the souls of the slain.

And then came the bargain. Seventy-five gold for the resurrection diamond they desperately needed. And more: a favor from each of them, no questions asked, to be called in when she chose.

It was a dangerous deal. Binding themselves to forces they didn’t understand, in a land where words had power and bargains had weight. But what choice did they have? They were the seventh group to attempt this. The six before them had failed. If they couldn’t bring back their dead, they’d join those failures in unmarked graves.

One by one, they agreed.

Chapter 2: The Wizard’s Crypt

Morning at the Vistani camp brought decisions. Madame Eve’s prophecies spoke of crypts and wizards, treasures and enemies. The party debated their path: return to Vallaki, travel north to Kresk, or seek the mountain tunnel to the south that Leo the Vistani had mentioned.

The mountains won. Adventure called, and prophecy pointed the way.

But before they left, Zoran and Luan shared a moment of truth at the camp’s edge. Both carried burdens they hadn’t fully revealed. Zoran confessed that a voice whispered to him, offering power — and it had told him something strange: “sins can’t hurt each other.” They didn’t know what it meant, but they knew accepting these voices could destroy them.

They’d have to be careful. They’d have to watch each other.

The journey south took them through rising mountains and falling temperatures. Something followed them in the mist — small, elusive, always just out of sight. Luan shrouded the party in Pass Without Trace, and they moved like ghosts through the fog.

At a mountain plateau, they found an entrance carved with druidic script. A riddle guarded the way: I am not alive, yet I grow. I do not breathe, yet I need air. I have no mouth, yet I consume all. Zoran solved it — fire — and Grusnarv cast a firebolt to open the gate. A trap triggered, fire roaring from the tunnel, but quick thinking with water and flame magic let them pass safely.

Inside, a playful water elemental began following Luan. They named it Gary.

The tunnel led deep into the mountain, past hidden pressure plates and rotating bone chambers, until they found what the prophecy had promised: a wizard’s crypt. The dome-shaped chamber was built entirely of bones — thousands of skeletons arranged in perfect anatomical order, with a stone altar at its heart.

Grooves carved in the altar suggested an offering. Zoran cut his hand.

The altar seized him. Blood didn’t drip — it was pulled, flowing in streams toward a central symbol on the floor. Zoran’s arm turned blue as his lifeblood drained away. Luan grabbed him to pull him free and got caught himself. Brannor tackled them both and became trapped as well. Grusnarv tried to block the grooves and was slammed against the wall by skeletal hands.

Luan and Gary saved them. Andy pressed the water elemental against Zoran’s wound, and Gary sacrificed his essence to dilute the blood flow. But by then, Zoran was dying — drained nearly white, consciousness fading.

In that moment between life and death, the voice came clearly. Greed offered a final bargain: accept its blood, take its power, or die.

Zoran had a choice. He’d been resisting the sin since it first whispered to him. But here, bleeding out in a necromantic crypt with his friends trapped beside him, resistance meant death.

“I’ll accept what’s yours,” Zoran whispered, “if you accept what’s mine. Take my warmth from the Radiant One.”

Lucky thirteen on the die. He accepted.

Power flooded through him. His heart beat like thunder. Blood surged through his veins — not just his blood, but something perfected. His body transformed, muscles becoming sharply defined, senses exploding into hyperawareness. He could see, hear, smell, and feel everything with crystal clarity. He moved with supernatural grace and speed.

Brannor grew to giant size and pulled Grusnarv free. The blood ritual completed, three grooves filled with the mixture of blood and water before Gary’s sacrifice stopped the drain. A red stone in the center pulsed with blue light and cracked apart. The floor rotated, revealing an amulet.

Zoran moved like lightning and claimed it.

The moment his fingers touched the amulet, every skeleton in the chamber began to fall. Some clattered lifeless to the ground. Others pulled themselves together, animated by necromantic power.

They ran. Through the bone tunnel, past the hidden chambers, back toward the cavern entrance. Behind them, the crypt came to life with the sound of rattling bones and shambling feet.

They’d found what Madame Eve’s prophecy had promised. They’d survived the wizard’s crypt. And Zoran had made a bargain that changed him forever.

Chapter 3: The Feast of Gluttony

Recovering from the blood altar’s drain, the party examined what the crypt had cost them. Zoran’s transformation was impossible to hide now — muscles carved like a Greek statue, skin tight and dry, body perfected by Greed’s power. Brannor and Luan bore red rusty rashes where they’d touched him during the ritual, as if his transformed blood had burned them. The amulet they’d claimed radiated magic and unholy energy, its purpose still unknown.

Behind them, bones rattled. The skeletons were still coming. They had to move deeper.

The tunnel descended into refined stonework, carved by skilled hands for creatures much larger than human. The smell of cooking food grew stronger — impossibly delicious in a land of decay. They found massive doors and opened them through combined strength, Zoran’s enhanced muscles growing rigid as stone.

Beyond lay a ballroom filled with music. Kobolds played instruments while crying, shackled and collared, forced to perform. And rising from beneath the floor on a throne came Gluttony — three meters of grotesque excess wearing a chef’s hat, the sin they’d seen at Strahd’s dinner but now revealed in his true domain.

Grusnarv, Andy, and Luan turned invisible while Brannor and Zoran represented the party. Gluttony recognized them and asked about their fallen companion. When told that Envy had killed their friend, he accepted it with disturbing casualness.

Then came the challenge: a cooking contest. If Brannor could prepare better food than Gluttony, they’d go free. If not, they’d become dinner. Gluttony swore “on meat” and the challenge was set.

While preparations began, Grusnarv slipped away to the kobolds’ chambers. He found them living in filth and chains, desperate for freedom. When he offered to help them fight Gluttony, they latched onto him as a prophet of “tiki-taki” — some belief that had sustained them through captivity. A female kobold named Viola declared he would father their savior child. Uncomfortable but committed, Grusnarv promised they’d attack Gluttony on his signal.

The session ended with fires burning, ingredients prepared, and a hundred enslaved kobolds ready to revolt. A cooking contest would determine their fate — or perhaps signal the start of a desperate battle.

And somewhere in the spaces between life and death, their fallen companion Caston stirred. Death had changed him into something ghostly, able to see but bound by mist. He retained his memories and consciousness, searching for a way back to the living world.

Chapter 4: The Gauth’s Bargain

Before the first pan could heat, Gluttony offered a twist. There was something in the caverns beneath his ballroom — something special. If they could retrieve this ingredient, it would give them an advantage in the contest. The party accepted. Abandoning the cooking challenge, they descended into darkness.

Gluttony’s throne slid aside, revealing a square shaft leading down. He gave them each a portion of grotesque pocket meat and sent them into the depths with a warning: the creature below would be watching.

The tunnel gave way to natural cavern. The smell of food faded, replaced by damp stone and something sour. They descended a rope into a vast chamber, 120 feet high and shrouded in complete darkness. The floor was unnaturally smooth, worn down by something large.

When Brannor’s torch flared bright, they saw it: an enormous eye seventy feet away, with a mouth full of pointed teeth and tentacles extending from its body, each tipped with smaller eyes. A gauth — a spectator, lesser cousin to the dreaded beholder.

“INTRUDERS,” the voice echoed in their minds.

Combat erupted. Eye rays shot fire, force, and necrotic energy. Luan’s lightning struck from above. Brannor charged and slammed his axe into the creature, his hill giant heritage manifesting to knock the floating aberration prone. Zoran rushed forward but found his magic neutralized by the creature’s anti-magic cone. The gauth retaliated with eye rays, fire and force pushing the party back.

Then Andy made his move. He ran directly beneath the creature, used his mage hand to position his pistol, and fired at the massive central eye from thirty feet below.

Natural twenty. The silver bullet punched through.

He fired again. Another natural twenty.

The gauth hung wounded in the air. In the silence that followed, its voice changed: “HE… is in my lair.” It was talking about Gluttony.

Instead of finishing the fight, they negotiated. The gauth had been forced into an uneasy truce with the sin, its territory violated, its hunger constant. “You give me magic,” it said. “I kill gluttony.”

Zoran offered one of the sin stones they’d collected — magical gems taken from defeated sins. The gauth descended, placed the stone in its mouth, and before their eyes, healed its wounds. Then something new emerged: an additional tentacle sprouted from its body, tipped with a fresh eye. The sin stone had made it stronger.

“I will take out gluttony,” the gauth declared. “I will not harm you.”

The bargain was struck. Together, they would kill the sin.

During the short rest that followed, Brannor attuned to the mysterious amulet from the wizard’s crypt. As he focused on it, its properties revealed themselves: the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. A platinum sun-shaped amulet with the power to paralyze vampires, amplify divine magic, and most remarkably — create true sunlight. This was a weapon specifically designed to fight Strahd.

They climbed back up through the caverns, the gauth floating alongside them. The cooking contest was forgotten. They were going to hunt Gluttony, and they had divine power on their side.

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The Party

Zoran

• Wood Elf Sun Soul Monk
• Uses radiant sun soul strikes in combat — his attacks carry divine energy
• Capable of devastating strikes (one blow briefly parted the cloud cover)
• Has caught the attention of Sasha, a Vistani woman at the camp
• Had a heartfelt conversation with Andy at the Vistani camp
• Made a bargain with Greed (the sin): Accepted its power in exchange for sharing his warmth/light from the Radiant One
• Transformed by Greed: Body became perfectly sculpted like a Greek statue, looks like “beefed up jerky” — all muscles sharply defined and rigid
• Enhanced abilities: Heightened senses (can see/hear/smell/feel everything with crystal clarity), supernatural speed, enhanced reflexes, muscles become impossibly hard when tensed (not soft, completely rigid)
• Survived impossible blood loss: Should have died from the blood altar but Greed’s power kept him alive and healed him completely
• The transformation is permanent and highly visible — looks like peak physical perfection
• Hears a voice offering him power — the voice told him “sins can’t hurt each other”
• Speaks druidic (secret language of druids) and can read druidic script

Luan

• Wood Elf Moon Druid
• Can shapeshift into a direwolf using his druidic magic
• Uses nature magic and wild shape abilities
• Perceptive and cautious
• Bonded with Gary: A water elemental that follows him and has playful consciousness
• Speaks druidic (secret language of druids) and can read druidic script
• Has Long Strider prepared for enhanced movement (cast it on Zoran during their journey)
• Bears a mark from the blood altar: Red rusty rash where he touched Zoran during the ritual
• Can use Control Flame to manipulate fire (used to extinguish Brannor’s torch)

Brannor

• Half Hill Giant/Half Dwarf Oath of Glory Paladin
• Towering, imposing presence (8’6” / 2.9 meters tall normally)
• Newly recruited to the party at the start of this session
• Has access to resurrection magic through his paladin oaths (requires expensive diamond components)
• Summoned a spectral/mist direwolf named Vetjna for traveling
• Visited Madame Eve previously; she prophesied “you will lose the light” — came true when he lost an eye
• Mentioned he was “another man” during his previous visit (meaning unclear)
• Can cast offensive spells like Chromatic Orb and support spells like Aid
• Can transform into giant form: Grows to approximately 4 meters tall, skin becomes earthy with grass growing from it, gains advantage on strength checks
• Divine Sense ability detects celestials, fiends, undead, and consecrated/desecrated areas within 60 feet
• Lost his father (who was a dwarf)
• Bears a mark from the blood altar: Red rusty rash where he touched Zoran during the ritual, as if Zoran’s transformed blood burned him
• Challenged by Gluttony: Must win a cooking contest to free the party — his favorite dish is fresh pork with honey glaze, rosemary, pepper, and his mother’s “jungle juice”
• Attuned to the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind: Now wears the legendary platinum sun amulet recovered from the wizard’s crypt (see Inventory section for full details)
• Hill Giant Ability - Topple Foe: When hitting a Large or smaller creature with an attack roll, can make it prone (though flying creatures with hover trait or held aloft by magic are immune)

Andy

• Half-Elf Gunslinger
• Involved in the crossbow incident in Vallaki — paid the agreed price but the shopkeeper changed his mind and became aggressive
• Quick-thinking in combat (doused scarecrow in alcohol for burning)
• Had a heartfelt conversation with Zoran at the Vistani camp — said he’s trying to be a better person and do what’s best for the group
• Successfully crafted silver ammunition: 12 silver bullets and 10 silver bolts (with Vistani assistance)
• Mage Hand for remote object manipulation (tried to use it to grab the amulet)
• Incredible marksmanship: During the Gauth fight, shot the creature in its central eye with back-to-back natural 20s from 30 feet below using silver bullets, nearly killing it and turning the tide of the encounter
• Out of normal bullets: Now using silver ammunition exclusively

Grusnarv

• Deep Gnome Sorcerer
• Experiencing troubling visions and memories that may not be his own
• Talented artist — painted a portrait showing a mysterious connection between himself and Strahd
• Remembers being a researcher involved in creating magical stones through dark experiments and human sacrifice
• Uses sorcerer magic and can cast Chromatic Orb
• Can cast Ray of Frost for battlefield control
• Firebolt cantrip (used to open the mountain entrance)
• Detect Thoughts to sense intention
• Invisibility spell: Can make three people invisible simultaneously
• Understand Languages: Can comprehend any spoken language, including Draconic
• Perceptive and cautious, especially about magical items (natural 20 perception in Gluttony’s ballroom)
• The threads in his painting disappeared when their previous companion died
• Enjoyed drinking Fruity Loops at the Vistani camp
• Accidentally became a kobold prophet: The enslaved kobolds declared him the “prophet of tiki-taki” and believe he will father their savior child with a kobold named Viola
• Leading a revolution: Convinced approximately 100 enslaved kobolds to rebel against Gluttony on his signal

Caston (Fallen Companion)

• Died before Session 1 began — killed by Envy
• Was wearing bulky armor and was notable enough that Gluttony specifically asked about him
• Their death caused the threads in Grusnarv’s painting to vanish
• Returned as a spectral form: Exists between life and death as a kind of ghost or consciousness
• Can see the world in shadow and relief (no color), can distinguish himself from other souls
• Retains his memory and sense of self
• Bound by mist barriers that pull him back when he tries to move too far
• There are ways to “clear the mist” and potentially restore him, but the method is unclear
• Not fully a character yet — more like a consciousness linked to the party

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What We Know

Places

Barovia

• A cursed land trapped in perpetual mist and darkness
• The land itself seems hostile — trees creak with malice, mist moves with purpose
• Ruled by the vampire Strahd von Zarovich from Castle Ravenloft
• This is apparently the seventh group of heroes to attempt to defeat Strahd; the previous six failed

Vallaki

• A town trying to maintain normalcy despite the curse
• Surrounded by walls, with guards who are vigilant but overwhelmed
• Citizens are fearful and guards are on edge
• The town can be reached from the Vistani camp by traveling west

The Mountains (South of Barovia)

• South and slightly east of the Vistani camp
• Reached by following a river that flows toward the mountains
• Gets progressively colder as elevation increases
• Mist flows down from the peaks like a waterfall
• Contains a secret tunnel passage through to other regions
• The entrance is protected by a druidic fire/water puzzle
• Something small and hungry lurks in the mist around the mountains

The Wizard’s Crypt

• Hidden deep within the mountain tunnel system
• Main chamber is a massive dome constructed entirely of bones
• Thousands of skeletons arranged in perfect anatomical order on the walls
• A skeletal chandelier hangs from the ceiling
• Stone altar in the center with deep grooves carved in ritualistic patterns
• The grooves form an unknown symbol in the chamber’s center
• The Blood Altar: Pulls blood from anyone who touches it, channeling it through the grooves to power a mechanism
• When the ritual completes, reveals a hidden compartment with a magical amulet
• Saturated with necrotic/unholy energy detectable by Divine Sense
• Skeletons animate when the amulet is taken
• Has hidden rotating wall mechanisms operated by pressure plates
• Uncertain which wizard built it or when

Gluttony’s Ballroom (discovered Session 21)

• Located deep in the mountain tunnel system, accessed through massive wooden doors bound with cast-iron rings
• An enormous ballroom sized for giants, though furniture is human-sized
• Rich red carpet covers the floor (clever for hiding bloodstains)
• A round table in the center surrounded by six smaller tables arranged in a hexagon
• Chandelier of wrought iron with candles hangs from the ceiling
• Gluttony’s throne rises from beneath the floor
• Two exits: the main entrance doors and a small kobold-sized door to the back chambers
• Back chambers contain filthy breeding rooms where enslaved kobolds live
• Can be converted into a massive kitchen with pans, fires, and cooking equipment
• The tunnel leading to it has massive stairs sized for giants, transitions from natural cave to smooth hand-carved stone
• Beneath the ballroom: A square shaft descends from where Gluttony’s throne sits, leading to vast natural caverns below

The Deep Caverns (discovered Session 22)

• Located beneath Gluttony’s ballroom, accessed through a square shaft with a rope descent
• Approximately 30 meters (100 feet) down from the ballroom level
• Natural cave system approximately 120 feet high
• The floor is unnaturally smooth, worn down by something large moving across it repeatedly
• Smells damp and sour, like a wet towel left on the ground for weeks
• Contains square carved sections in the walls about 30 feet up, suggesting previous habitation or modification
• Was the lair of a Gauth before Gluttony took residence in the ballroom above
• Contains “holy items” according to the Gauth (nature unknown)

The Three Cities of Barovia (according to Vistani Leo)

• Barovia Village: Associated with Lust (one of the sins)
• Vallaki: Associated with Greed
• Kresk: Associated with Wrath
• Each city/region is dominated by a particular sin

The Vistani Camp

• Located east of Vallaki
• Six colorful wagons arranged in a circle around a central bonfire
• An oasis of green grass and healthy trees in the cursed land
• The mist doesn’t reach the camp (protection from their deal with Strahd)
• Madame Eve’s tent is here — impossibly larger on the inside
• The Vistani are friendly and welcoming, offering food, drink, and music

Castle Ravenloft

• Strahd’s stronghold
• Connected to Loen by mysterious threads (shown in his painting)
• The party will need to reach it eventually to confront Strahd

NPCs

Madame Eve

• Elderly Vistani seer with powerful divination magic
• Sits in an impossibly large tent at the Vistani camp
• Can identify magical items remotely, reads fortunes through prophecy
• Has made a deal with Strahd that allows her people relative freedom
• Warns that giving “too much assistance” would “anger Strahd and jeopardize the deal”
• Her power “doesn’t go beyond” the camp area
• Previously gave Brannor a prophecy that came true
• The party now owes her one favor each (no questions asked)

Sasha

• Vistani woman at the camp
• Showed romantic interest in Zoran
• Friendly and welcoming to the party

Leo

• Vistani man at the camp
• Friendly and helpful
• Shared knowledge about Barovia’s geography and the three cities
• Told the party about the secret mountain tunnel
• Heard about the tunnel seven months ago from a stranger by the lake
• Has never been through the tunnel himself

Valor (Little Knight)

• Young Vistani boy who wanted to accompany the party
• Enthusiastic and brave
• Calls himself a hero
• Brannor challenged him to swing a hand axe a hundred times before he could join them on adventures

Vallaki Guards

• On edge and overworked
• Don’t give special treatment to heroes (“you’re like the seventh one”)
• Can be negotiated with, but won’t compromise on maintaining order

Creatures & Enemies

Gary (Water Weird/Elemental)

• Water elemental encountered at the mountain entrance
• Started as a playful droplet that followed Luan
• Shows signs of consciousness and intention, though not quite a full mind
• Responds to Detect Thoughts with “purpose” and “direction” rather than coherent thoughts
• Playful personality — plays tag, skitters across ceilings
• Bonded with Luan as a companion
• Grew more substantial after sacrificing much of its essence to save Zoran from the blood altar
• Now appears to be a more powerful entity than when first encountered
• Can mix with blood to dilute it and seal wounds

Scarecrows

• Animated constructs found along the roads
• Can teleport, existing in multiple places simultaneously
• Cast impossible shadows (five shadows from one light source)
• Their gaze induces paralyzing fear (Wisdom save DC 11)
• Vulnerable to fire damage
• Some carry magical items (like the cursed ring)

Kobolds (in Gluttony’s Domain)

• Small draconic humanoids enslaved by Gluttony
• Approximately 100 of them in the mountain ballroom
• Wear shackles on their wrists and collars around their necks
• Forced to play music constantly while crying — the music sounds jovial but they look like “dead men”
• Speak Draconic
• Live in filthy breeding chambers behind the ballroom
• Have formed a cult belief called “tiki-taki” — some kind of prophecy that sustains them
• Declared Grusnarv their “prophet” and believe he will father a savior child
• A female kobold named Viola is particularly devoted to this prophecy
• Agreed to rebel against Gluttony when Grusnarv gives the signal
• Have no weapons, only their musical instruments
• Status unclear: The party descended into the caverns without signaling the uprising

The Gauth (encountered Session 22)

• A spectator-type creature — lesser cousin to beholders
• Appears as an enormous central eye (the size of a wagon wheel) with a mouth full of pointed teeth below it
• Multiple tentacles extend from the main body, each tipped with its own smaller eye
• Originally had five eye tentacles, now has seven after consuming a sin stone
• Powers demonstrated:
  • Eye rays: fire, necrotic damage, telekinesis, anti-magic cone, force push, slowing effect
  • Central eye can project a cone of anti-magic that nullifies spells and magical effects
  • Can pull magical items toward itself telekinetically
  • Telepathic communication (speaks directly into minds)
  • Natural levitation/flight (hovers without using magic, so cannot be knocked from the air)
• Can consume magic to grow stronger: Ate a sin stone and immediately healed wounds while growing additional tentacles/eyes
• Was living in the deep caverns beneath Gluttony’s ballroom
• Had an “understanding” with Gluttony — they left each other alone, but the Gauth resented the sin’s presence in its lair
• Allied with the party: Made a bargain to help them kill Gluttony in exchange for the sin stone
• Plans to eat Gluttony after the sin is defeated
• Claims to have “holy items” in its lair (nature and location unknown)
• Nearly died in combat: Was down to 5 HP when negotiations began, having been shot twice in the eye by Andy

The Sins

• Major enemies the party must defeat to have hope of confronting Strahd
• Each seems to be associated with a colored stone
• Party has defeated some already (mentioned: Lust, and possibly “Brightly”/Pride)
• The sins can apparently return in different forms
• Creating the sin stones required human sacrifice (according to Loen’s memories)- The sins communicate with the party through voices:
  • Zoran’s voice (Greed): Offers power, revealed that “sins can’t hurt each other,” made a bargain with Zoran in the crypt
• Greed (bonded with Zoran):
  • Describes itself as “the shadow to the light you search”
  • Says “You must accept the shadow to have that light”
  • Grants enhanced physical abilities, heightened senses, and supernatural speed
  • Claims to be “the perfect image of yourself”
  • Can keep someone alive even when they should be dead from blood loss
  • Bargained with Zoran: accepted Zoran’s “warmth” (light from the Radiant One) in exchange for its power
  • Associated with the city of Vallaki Gluttony (encountered in Session 21)
• One of the seven sins the party must defeat
• Lives deep within the mountain tunnel system in a massive ballroom
• Appears as an enormous (3 meters tall), grotesquely fat elf-like creature
• Wears a white chef’s hat and scarf, exposes a huge hairy belly
• Can change size: Was smaller at Strahd’s dinner, but grows much larger in his own domain — can inflate like a balloon
• Powers demonstrated:
  • Can induce intense hunger in others just by being near them
  • Has tendrils/veins that can extend from his body to consume victims
  • Absorbed a kobold completely into his body through his veins
  • Keen senses: can smell, taste, and sense invisible creatures
• Personality: Jovial but disturbing, obsessed with food and cooking
• Enslaves kobolds to play music and serve him
• Made a deal with Brannor: cooking contest for their freedom, swore “on meat”
• Recognized the party from Strahd’s dinner
• Knew about their fallen companion and seemed interested in the “bulky armored one”
• Considers the other sins his “brothers and sisters” — showed no surprise when told Envy killed their friend

Strahd von Zarovich

• The vampire lord who rules Barovia
• Lives in Castle Ravenloft
• Connected to Grusnarv by mysterious threads
• Has made deals with various factions (including the Vistani)
• Hosted a dinner where the party met multiple sins
• The party’s ultimate enemy

Lore & Mysteries

Grusnarv’s Connection to Strahd

• Grusnarv painted a picture showing himself connected to Strahd and Castle Ravenloft by threads of energy
• These threads disappeared when their companion died
• Grusnarv has memories of being a researcher who created magical stones
• The work required human sacrifice and was directed by someone “powerful and demanding”
• He feels he was complicit in dark experiments against his will
• Madame Eve recognized this connection but said “it’s not my story to tell — I’m afraid you know”
• Unclear if these are past life memories, possession, or something else

Madame Eve’s Prophecies

• “The key lies in the crypt of a wizard” — FOUND: The party discovered the wizard’s crypt in the mountains and retrieved an amulet
• “What you seek is buried with the dead, under a mountain of gold coins”
• “A wonder elf has what you need; you will part with a weapon to see his dark dreams fulfilled”
• “A wizard waits — his mind is broken, but his spells are strong” (likely an enemy)
• “Your enemy hides in a secret place of temptation, behind a woman of great beauty, atop a pile of treasure”

The Vistani’s Deal

• The Vistani have made an arrangement with Strahd
• This gives them the ability to travel freely and maintain their green camp
• Madame Eve’s power is limited to the camp area
• She must be careful not to help too much or anger Strahd

Inventory & Resources

Items Acquired

• Holy Symbol of Ravenkind (from the wizard’s crypt, identified Session 22)
  • Legendary platinum amulet shaped like a sun with a large crystal embedded in its center
  • Has 10 charges that recharge at dawn
  • Only attuneable by creatures of good alignment
  • Currently attuned to Brannor
  • Hold Vampire (1 charge): As an action, vampires and vampire spawn within 30 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute
  • Turn Undead Enhancement (3 charges): When using Turn Undead or similar features, undead have disadvantage on their saving throws
  • Sunlight (5 charges): Creates true sunlight in a 30-foot radius (with an additional 30 feet of dim light) for 10 minutes — vampires have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks in sunlight
  • This is specifically designed as an anti-Strahd weapon
• Ring of the Champion (cursed, unclaimed)
  • Silver ring with black spiral design
  • Found on a scarecrow after combat
  • While attuned: when healed by any effect, roll an additional hit die for bonus healing
  • Curse: The first time the wearer drops to 0 HP, the ring turns dull gray and prevents all magical healing thereafter
  • If removed while attuned, wearer immediately drops to 0 HP and must make death saves
  • Curse can only be removed with Remove Curse spell
  • Corrupted by the souls of all those killed by previous wearers
• Resurrection Diamond (300 gold value)
  • Purchased from Madame Eve for 75 gold + favors
  • Required component for Brannor’s resurrection spell (Revivify or similar)
  • Can bring back a fallen companion
• Golden Egg
  • Made of metal, not actual gold
  • Weight suggests it’s not solid gold
  • Purpose unknown
• Silver Ammunition (Andy)
  • 12 silver bullets
  • 10 silver bolts
  • Crafted successfully at the Vistani camp with assistance
  • Almost all remaining silver was used in the crafting

Resources Spent

• 25 gold paid to Vallaki guards (settling the shopkeeper dispute)
• 75 gold paid to Madame Eve (for the resurrection diamond)
• One sin stone given to the Gauth (either from Pride or Greed, to secure an alliance)

Outstanding Debts

• Each party member owes Madame Eve one favor (no questions asked)
• To be called in at a time of her choosing
• Promised activities: entertaining children, chopping wood, party tricks, drinking with the men

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Open Threads

Immediate Threats:

• Can they defeat Gluttony with the Gauth’s help? Even the Gauth says the sin has magic that’s “difficult to stop”
• Will the Gauth honor the bargain? It promised not to harm them and to help kill Gluttony — but can an aberration be trusted?
• What happened to the kobold uprising? Grusnarv left approximately 100 kobolds ready to revolt, but the party descended without him — are they still waiting for the signal?
• What will Gluttony drop when defeated? The party negotiated first rights to examine his possessions
• What are the “holy items” in the Gauth’s lair? It mentioned having holy items stored in the deep caverns

The Party’s Condition:

• What happened to Caston? He’s returned as a spectral consciousness bound by mist — can they restore him fully to life?
• Is Zoran’s transformation permanent? Greed’s power changed his body completely — can it be reversed? Should it be?
• What are the long-term consequences of the bargain with Greed? Enhanced abilities are obvious, but what’s the price?
• What is Gary now? The water elemental grew more powerful after saving Zoran — is it still just a playful companion?
• What does Greed want from Zoran long-term? The sin got Zoran’s “warmth” in exchange — what does that mean?
• What are the red rusty marks on Brannor and Luan? From touching Zoran during the ritual — are they permanent? Dangerous?

Mysteries & Prophecies:

• What is Grusnarv’s connection to Strahd? The threads in his painting, the memories of creating stones through sacrifice — what do they mean? Was he actually involved in dark experiments?
• Continue following Madame Eve’s prophecies: The wizard’s crypt is found — now seek the treasure under gold, the wonder elf, identify the broken wizard, and find the secret place
• When will Madame Eve call in her favors? Each party member owes her a favor with no questions asked
• What is “tiki-taki”? The kobold cult belief that led them to declare Grusnarv a prophet
• Who was the stranger who told Leo about the tunnel? Why share that information seven months ago?
• What was following them in the mist near the mountains? Something small and hungry tracked them before they entered the tunnel

Long-term Goals:

• Defeat the remaining Sins: Lust defeated, Greed bonded with Zoran, Gluttony about to be fought, Envy killed Caston — how many remain?
• Navigate the mountain tunnel: Where does it lead? Does it connect to Kresk or the Tsolenka Pass?
• Use the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind against Strahd: They now possess a legendary anti-vampire weapon specifically designed to fight him
• Reach Castle Ravenloft: Eventually confront Strahd to escape Barovia
• Gather resurrection components: They have one diamond now, but may need more if companions fall
• How many sins remain to be defeated? And how many sin stones are left? (They gave one to the Gauth)

Unanswered Questions:

• How did Envy kill Caston, and why?
• Why does Brannor say he was “another man” when he previously visited Madame Eve?
• Can the curse on Barovia itself be broken, or only escaped?
• What is the full extent of the Vistani’s deal with Strahd?
• Why did six previous groups fail to defeat Strahd?