Session 6

 After dawn in the northern mountains: From a ruined tower the acolytes of the entombed Seer observe four knights leading their horses down a trail.

What follows are notes from Ser Perilake's diary ...  

Riverday, 2nd Week of Bales

We leave the shelter of the valley, the poacherwoman pardoned by Ludmer (an act that will displease the king) swearing to keep an eye on the area and confirm if the Bat is indeed committing crimes or if it is but superstitious talk. We are heading for the Chalice of the City, and aim to travel down the Ryba River near Szalai Keep.

Perilake’s return pleases Ludmer, and the party is in largely good mood, even raising Heldris’ brooding mood. Zoltan is in awe of our quest for a mythical artefact. We travel from the Entombed Seer east [Hex D3 to E3], where we can see far across the foothills and see the Ryba River in the distance. We can make it by nightfall if we push on. River barges are moored near Szalai Keep. We spur our horses onwards.

The Glade

A huge camp with guards protecting the merchants is visible as we move towards them. We first come through a glade, surrounded by dense wood. Within is a stone circle with three plinths; Anastasz tries to move them to no avail. Perilake places his mace upon the Black, food upon the grey, and wine upon the white. The branches of the forest part but force us to take a detour, and we must gallop onwards. Poor Zoltan’s pony is running on fumes.

The guards greet us as night falls. Mistress Timea agrees to meet us. The boats are laden, the camp is well organised. Mistress Timea, warden of the merchant’s guild, expects us to be sent from the King to protect her convoy. She is disappointed that we are not. But we are here, and argue that our paths lead south together, as does our protection. She hails from Castle Mohacs. There are bandits in a forest to the east [Hex G7] that have been a source of problems for her; the King slacks in his duties she thinks. We eat unimpressive porridge and agree to investigate as we travel.

We disembark for the South, towards Bohat. We will stop in Kozamost, try and recruit some men and take on the bandits by using Timea’s barge as bait. The men of Kozamost and the guards forming a cordon for the Brotherhood to deal with the threat. As we sail, Ludmer and Perilake talk about the former’s home, the King’s River. But the Castle is now fallen. Ludmer dreams of ending his travels and building a new one.

Kozamost is a small fishing and farming village. We are greeted by the headwoman Mira, who provides all the poor hospitality that we can. She promises us 10 of her best men and women, though something about her betrays that she sympathises with the vagabonds of the forests despite pledging her help. Ludmer challenges the Mayor over the King’s attitudes to the realm, revealing his revolutionary tendencies. Anastasz talks to the villagers and discovers the bandits don’t prey upon the locals, just the barges. They are to the east [Hex I7].

Kozamost 

KINSDAY, 2nd week of Bales

The scouts go ahead and note that there are 2 dozen including horses and carts. We will lead the fight. The villagers will support us from the rear. It will be a fierce fight.

We ride closer. These are trained mercenaries in a hodge podge of uniforms. Some look as though they may be hired. This is no wild group of vagabonds. They are well equipped - they have spears and shields. Our position is nearly found, so we charge before they can get a spear wall up.

It goes very badly. Heldris is badly injured in his shield arm, disabling it - possibly forever. The rest of us struggle against the forces and things look bad until we are able to make an opening, and Heldris slays the leader. The leader carries a symbol of a honeycomb and crescent moon, the symbol of House Masur. As he dies and his men break from the field, he gasps “Glory for the House Masur”. House Masur is an ally of House Karpat. They are also the house of the old king.

As the mercenaries scatter with the loss of their leader, Zoltan lead the villagers in a charge to break any attempt at order. Several of them go down and they leave their carriage behind as the survivors scatter into the woods. Heldris collapses atop the body of his foe, clutching his injured arm, and the rest bar Perilake are also in a bad way. But the Brotherhood wins the day.

Session 5

2nd Riversday of Bales

The weather is pleasant and sunny. We travel to the West. The mountain is full of caves and we can see a campfire and meet a goat header by the name of Wendel. There is a table laid out for a feast. The bowls are full of ... worms! The feast of the worms will prevent the bat from stealing the goat, he says and that the ritual has worked as the goats are safe lately. From the North came a group of Bat Hunters, Ratflef - the leader - told him that they thought the bat lives in cave to the West. The villagers describe the bat as having a huge bloated body and black wings, it only hunts at night or dusk.

The Bat Cave

We search the mountain for the bat's cave, towards dusk we find the right cave. Rotting fruits lay outside. There is smoke of a campfire in the distance. We try to lure it with honey-covered dates. Cormorant is waiting at the top of the cave's entrance, while Anastaz is waiting with a snare on one side and Heldris is on the other. The Bat emerges from the cave to eat the dates and it is singing the same song the kids were singing. The snare goes off, Cormorant jumps down and grapples it. He is able to impair the creature putting the blade into the beast's mouth. Heldris sings the same song as the bat, and that seems to catch the beast's attention. It speaks with breathy voice through organs not created for words: “I am the one that loves to hide, that is accused of things it hasn't done.” It says that it is not the one committing these crimes, and it is something in the head of the folks. The Creature thanks us for our mercy by giving us an old helm that he found in its cave (called River helm).  

The Bat Hunters

We approach the campfire and meet hunters who want to kill the bat, but Cormorant tells them that a great worm named Bildadong is responsible for the crimes, and only giant bats can keep it at bay. So they promise to not hunt the bat for a week, but if the killings continue they will slay it. We camp with them, they are from Waldochia and they tell us that to the North there is contested land between Waldochia and the Crown land of Barovia. There is a war of succession where the king of Barovia has some claim to the throne. Cormorant leaves the party in a quest for the Bildadong, trying also to spread the word that the Bat is not responsible for the plagues of the land. Anastaz and Heldris returns to the watch tower at the Entombed Seer, to regroup with Ludmer and Perilake.

Session 4

A false knight in ancient armour patched with fur spends the Feast of the Stars alone at the bank of a river burying offerings to the Realm while their steed dances in the rain.

What follows are notes from Sir Heldris' diary (thanks Michele):

2nd STONESDAY of the Month of Bales

As we are sitting in our room at Barrow Castle, a strange knight comes to visit us. Cormorant, The Gull Knight, has a rough appearance and they wear patchwork armor that features bits of black fur. We take that as an omen and we ask them to join us.

We set to travel North, to visit the Entombed Seer. We decide to follow the river, when suddenly the temperature drops and mist rolls in from the east. A flock of red crows fly overhead shrieking. We think it is an omen. We decide to travel to the nearby village north following the river, passing a sort of swampy forest.

Rustic hospitality in Swinjo

Turnip field outside the village, reed covered roofs and a muddy road, pigs and pig farmers. Bogdan, the mayor of Swinjo greets us and asks if we are here to take care of the poacher. He invites us into his house and gives us shelter and food. A woman has hunted in the King's Wood. Her house was carried away by the flood. She has been caught by the villagers and they are waiting for orders about what to do with her. He also tells us of some beast that hunts in the North and travels on black wings.

We go talk to the Lenka, the poacher. She relates her story about the lost house after the flood and her looking for food in the King's Wood. She seems serene in her predicament. Ludmer dispenses judgement and tells her that she will serve us and help us, and if she will survive she will be free of her crime. The daughter tells Heldris that a bard coming from the North passed through the village and sang a song that goes: "The great winged one grows and we are the feast" about a monster in the North.

2nd Woodsday of Bales

Lenka will follow us as a guide. She leads us East, because she tells us that the mountain is unaccessible from the south. We enter a deep dark forest, burned down trees as if there had been a fire. During the day the mist lifts and we hear birds singing. At noon we arrive at the foot of the mountain. There is some bickering between Cormorant, who is telling a dirty joke about a made up seer (the Turnip Seer) and Ludmer, who has recently taken the lead of the party, and in the absence of Perilake has reverted to his introverted nature.

The mountains to the North are sparse with trees, we follow a winding path and we spot an old watch tower. Shortly before the sun disappears behind the mountain we find ourselves in a lush mountain valley. There is a white tomb set in the face of the mountain and there are two figures who approach us. We recognise the two people that led the feast of the stars, they guard the Entombed Seer. They are Sir Anton and Lady Bente. Bente is playing a sorrowful melody and Ludmer asks about it. It is for the mourning of the Entombed Seer. When Heldris asks Bente about the dark winged beast in the North, she refers to it as the bat, but she only heard about it from the people, not from the Seer. We spend the night in the Watch Tower with Anton and Bente.

The Sanctum of the Entombed Seer

2nd Armsday of Bales

In front of a white tomb set into the face of the mountain. Offerings of food and wine. Bente plays the flute. The voice of the Seer sounds hollow behind the stone. We ask the Seer about the Eye. He says he is not worried, for he is already dead. We ask the Seer about the Bat. He says:

    They say “Offering will calm it.”

    You can lure it with sweet fruit.

    You will judge it in front of the King.

He adds a line of poetry: "Spoil the loaf, taint the wine. To starve a fiend is most divine."

More bickering between Cormorant and Anastasz, the latter might suspect the Gull Knight of not being true. The Entombed Seer told us they would answer another question if we recover the Chalice of the City from a mound near the village of Bohat in the South. We set to travel North, looking for the Bat. In a clearing in the forest we see a flock of various birds, they are grounded grovelling toward the darkest part of the sky. They seem to be afraid of what lies West. We follow that direction and make camp at night.